Angelina Jolie Admits 'Having Children Saved Me': 'I Would've Gone Under in a Much Darker Way'

Angelina Jolie revealed her life might have been so different if she hadn't had her six kids — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and twins Vivienne and Knox — with ex Brad Pitt.

“I was 26 when I became a mother,” the 48-year-old star said in a new interview. “My entire life changed. Having children saved me — and taught me to be in this world differently. I think, recently, I would’ve gone under in a much darker way had I not wanted to live for them. They’re better than me, because you want your children to be. Of course I’m the mother, and hopefully that safe place for them and that stability. But I’m also the one that they laugh at — and I see them taking over so many different aspects of our family.”

The actress, who recently started a fashion line called Atelier Jolie, also revealed she tries not to be strict with her kids when it comes to their wardrobe.

“I don’t tell the kids how to dress,” she said. “Even when they were little, I just put things in front of them.”

“Nobody has to go anywhere if they don’t want to, and if they don’t want to dress up, they don’t have to," she said, referring to the family making public appearances. “I want them to be their own people.”

As OK! previously reported, Jolie, who split from Pitt in 2016, also got candid about how she is doing at this point in her life.

“Sometimes the way you dress says, ‘Don’t mess with me — I’ve got my armor on,’" she said of her brand. “But I want a woman to feel safe enough that she can be soft. After I went through something where I was hurt, I had a therapist ask if I would try wearing a flowing garment. Sounds silly, but I assumed that pants and boots projected a ‘tougher’ look, a stronger me. But was I strong enough to be soft? At the time, no. I felt vulnerable. Now I wonder if I don’t know what my style is because I’m still understanding who I am at 48. I guess I’m in transition as a person.”

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!

“I feel a bit down these days. I don’t feel like I’ve been myself for a decade, in a way, which I don’t want to get into," she continued, adding that she started doing less film work “seven years ago, only taking jobs that didn’t require long shoots. We had a lot of healing to do. We’re still finding our footing.”

Though the divorce was a tough pill to swallow, Jolie recently moved to the Big Apple, where she's ready to start over, according to a source.

"Angelina is really embracing her life in NYC. She’s finally moved on," said the source.

Vogue spoke to Jolie.