Gossip mags breathlessly quoted insiders as saying that Pitt was charmed by Jolie's humanitarian efforts and child adoption. The claims that they were just good friends became increasingly hard to believe as they travelled the world together holding hands, from a trip to Ethiopia to adopt a baby girl to an earthquake region tour in Pakistan.
Aniston meanwhile bore her rejection with dignity, and wouldn't you know it, eventually hitched up with actor Vince Vaughn, her co-star in her first post-Brad film named, appropriately enough, Breakup.
But Pitt and Jolie did not have the limelight all to themselves.
In fact they looked positively restrained compared to the antics of Tom Cruise and his new love, Batman Begins star Katie Holmes.
Vicious tongues wagged that the too-good-to-be-true romance was little more than a publicity stunt for the movie. But the couple strongly denied it, smooching every time a camera was in the vicinity.
Scientologist Cruise infamously proclaimed his true love for the rising young star by bouncing around on Oprah Winfrey's sofas, and they announced their engagement in a press conference at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
It was almost enough to send you running for cover to watch a bad movie at the cinema -- at least till the wedding's over.
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