Twins' birth denied as Jolie and Pitt rent French villa
The Brangelina clan began settling into a villa in the south of France today as a report claiming the couple’s twins had been born was denied.
Entertainment Tonight first reported on its website yesterday that Angelina Jolie had given birth in France. Then People magazine posted a story online saying that Jolie had not given birth, and E! and US Weekly followed with their own stories saying the babies remained unborn. All of the reports cited anonymous sources.
Representatives for Jolie and boyfriend Brad Pitt did not respond to phone and email requests.
Entertainment Tonight did not return a call for comment but early today the TV show stood by its story, with host Mary Hart saying that “just this morning, a source who says she was inside the delivery room tells us, yes, the babies were born and, yes, mother and babies are fine”.
Jolie has said previously that her twins are due in August. She and Pitt have four other children, six-year-old Maddox, four-year-old Pax and three-year-old Zahara, who are adopted, and two-year-old Shiloh.
In southern France, where locals say the couple recently moved, officials at the Etoile Maternite Catholique de Provence in Aix-en-Provence, one of the region’s top maternity clinics, said that Jolie had not been there and did not appear to be due to arrive.
Privacy rules about health matters are extremely strict in France.
The pair recently moved into the Miraval Estate villa in the French hamlet of Correns in the Provence region, according to the mayor and a local inn owner.
Traditionally, the region has lured tourists mostly for rock-climbing excursions on the rolling hills of the verdant region and leisurely strolls in its quaint medieval villages.
Mayor Michael Latz trumpets Correns as France’s first town where all locally grown produce is organic – and his villagers teem with pride about that reputation, and seem mostly bemused about the invasion of Hollywood buzz.
“I like to joke that I’m happy to be able to contribute to the image of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, because Correns is so well known,” Mr Latz said outside the ochre-coloured town hall.
He said Tom Bove, an American businessman who owns Miraval, recently told him that Jolie and Pitt had agreed to a three-year lease on the property, known for producing high-quality organic wine.
The couple were “in the process of moving in”, said Mr Latz, saying that he had not met them and knew nothing about whether Jolie had given birth or not.
“They are people who I hope will live normally here. I would think the choice of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ... is tied to the quality of life in Correns.”
Mr Latz also rejected speculation about an imminent wedding, and said that under French law they would need to alert local authorities if they wanted to officially tie the knot there.
Security guards were blocking the gates to the estate yesterday, while a postal van and other maintenance vehicles regularly passed in and out. The castle and accompanying buildings cannot be seen from public roads.
Pitt and Jolie may be Miraval’s first movie stars in residence, but Miraval has seen its share of rock stars. The estate includes a studio which has hosted the likes of Sting, the Cranberries and Pink Floyd, who recorded tracks for The Wall album there.
