Jennifer Aniston, 51, forgives her ex-father, 86, for leaving her
Jennifer Aniston, 51, forgives her ex-father, 86, for leaving her as a child and "now rings it every day" in reconciliation during the coronavirus lockdown
She needed several years of therapy to cope with the abandonment issues she suffered after her father left her as a child.
But now Friends star Jennifer Aniston has reconciled with her father John because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A source close to the 86-year-old woman, a veteran of the American soap star, told the Mail on Sunday: “Jen forgave her father for going out a long time ago. But their relationship has had its ups and downs.
“Jennifer hasn't spoken to him for ages. But since the coronavirus crisis, she's been on the phone almost every day. And not just short conversations. It's like she realized that life was very short and that she wanted her relationship with John to be the best it could be. He is delighted that they have reconciled.
The rapprochement is particularly welcome as Jennifer - who is set to earn £ 2million from a reunion of friends - also had a strained relationship with her mother, Nancy, refusing to speak to her for 15 years after posting a revealing book.
Born in Greece, John left Nancy, a model, in November 1979, after 11 years of marriage. At the time, their daughter was ten years old.
Jennifer, now 51, remembers, “I went to a birthday party, and when I came back my mom said, 'Your dad isn't going to stay here for a little while.
“She didn't say he was gone forever. I don't know if I blocked him, but I just remember sitting there crying, not realizing he was gone. I don't know what I did later that night or the next day. I can't remember anything other than being strange that all of a sudden my dad wasn't there. And he was gone for a while, about a year.
Then he suddenly reconnected. Jennifer recalled, “He just called one day and said, 'Let's go see the Fantasticks.
“So we had a little dinner and saw the show. After that I started seeing him on the weekends and this new way of life unfolded.
Jennifer added that her dad “wasn't a good communicator… but, as best he could, he explained and apologized, and that's enough. We have caught up. There are still parts that are difficult for me, but I am an adult. I can no longer blame my parents. "
Jennifer got into a fight with her mother over writing a cash book shortly after becoming a superstar in Friends.
Jennifer Aniston posted this image on her Instagram page of herself and her father John
The actress refused to speak to her mother for 15 years and did not even invite her to her 2000 wedding to Brad Pitt.
The couple had reconciled by the time Nancy died in 2016, but Jennifer recalled, “She was a model and it was all about presentation and what she looked like and what I looked like.
“I don't have [become] the model child she was hoping for. This little girl just wanted to be loved by a mom who was too busy with things that didn't really matter. She was very critical of me.
The source said Aniston's relationship with his father was just as difficult: “They went through long stretches where Jen didn't speak to him. John is a proud man, but not emotional. He never understood how volatile Jen's emotions were.
Nancy Aniston, former mother of Jennifer Aniston. Nancy is the author of "From Mother And Daughter To Friends: A Memoir" about her troubled relationship with Jennifer
“But since the coronavirus crisis, she's an amazing girl. He says she constantly calls to check on him. They obviously can't see each other, but they've spoken more than ever in the past few weeks.
John has been on Days Of Our Lives since 1985 - the same daytime soap opera that was incorporated into the Friends storyline.
The main cast of the '90s hit sitcom are due to return for a one-time, big-budget TV celebration of their show once social distancing rules are relaxed.
