Happy birthday, Jennifer Aniston ! The Friends alum turned 52 on Thursday, Feb. 11. As he’s done the last two years, Justin Theroux marked his ex-wife’s birthday with a tribute on social media. The Wanderlust actor, 49, shared a black-and-white photo of Jennifer posing on a staircase. “Happy birthday @jenniferaniston,” he wrote. “❤️ you B!”
The former couple started dating in 2011 and secretly tied the knot in 2015. After less than three years of marriage, the Hollywood stars announced their split in February of 2018. “In an effort to reduce any further speculation, we have decided to announce our separation,” Jennifer and Justin said in a statement at the time (via People magazine). “This decision was mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year. We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship.”
They added, “Normally we would do this privately, but given that the gossip industry cannot resist an opportunity to speculate and invent, we wanted to convey the truth directly. Whatever else is printed about us that is not directly from us, is someone else’s fictional narrative. Above all, we are determined to maintain the deep respect and love that we have for one another. ”
Justin told The New York Times in 2018 that “it was kind of the most gentle separation, in that there was no animosity.” He said, “It was heartbreaking, only in the sense that the friendship would not be the same, as far as just the day to day. But the friendship is shifting and changing, you know, so that part is something that we’re both very proud of.”
Jennifer, who was married to Brad Pitt prior to Justin, reflected on her marriages in a 2018 interview with Elle magazine. “My marriages, they’ve been very successful, in [my] personal opinion,” she said. “And when they came to an end, it was a choice that was made because we chose to be happy, and sometimes happiness doesn’t exist within that arrangement anymore.”