It’s been eight long years since Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt, citing irreconcilable differences. Theirs was a relationship that took the world by storm – divisive in the beginning, envied at its best, and a cause for widespread concern in the aftermath.

After two years of marriage and 12 years together, their divorce has been marred by a custody battle of their minor children, claims of domestic violence on Jolie’s part, and an ongoing fight over the sale of their French vineyard, Chateau Miraval. As such, while ‘legally single’, the pair is yet to finalise their divorce. With the court case set to continue next year, apparently Jolie’s friends are starting to worry about the toll it’s having on her health.

The sticking point of their legal dispute is the rightful ownership of a 50% stake of Chateau Miraval, the French estate which comprises of a winery, a 35-room chateau, vineyards and several olive groves. When the couple bought the land in 2008, Pitt owned 60% and Jolie owned 40%. After their wedding in 2014, Pitt gave Jolie 10% as a wedding gift so that they had equal shares. After their separation, Jolie sold her shares to Russian vodka magnate Yuri Shefler. It is the validity of this sale that is holding up the divorce.

Last week, a superior court judge ruled in favour of the Chateau Miraval case heading to trial and Pitt’s remaining claims against Jolie have been allowed to proceed. Us Weekly reported that the judge upheld that there was an ‘implied contract regarding shares in the company’, and Pitt’s outstanding claims were valid on two counts of interference. A trial date has not yet been set.

Aside from the financial drain of an ongoing legal battle (Jolie is said to have spent hundreds of thousands on legal bills so far), it’s thought that friends are worried about how Jolie will cope with months’ more stress. ‘To say it’s been a painful ordeal is an understatement,’ a source close to the actress tells Grazia. ‘With the news that it’s going to trial and Brad’s team crowing that they are on the verge of victory, Angelina is understandably more worried about it than she’s ever been.’

She has previously attempted to have the case dismissed in court and may now have to wait until 2026 to take the stand. ‘The court’s decision simply means that Mr. Pitt must now actually prove his case. In truth, Mr. Pitt rejected, in writing, the very contract he now claims he had with Angelina,’ Jolie’s attorney Paul Murphy said in a statement to Us Weekly. ‘Then, after she filed under seal evidence of domestic abuse, he pulled his offer to buy out Angelina’s share of Miraval unless she signed a revised NDA now expanded to cover Mr. Pitt’s personal conduct.’

Not only is there a lot of capital at stake, but the whole ordeal has become a metaphorical bind that both parties would rather untie. As an eight-year divorce would suggest, Pitt and Jolie are certainly not part of the cult of ‘conscious uncoupling’, nor do they appear to be friends. In fact, their split has been notoriously acrimonious and Pitt is reportedly estranged from some of their children.

Pitt has adamantly denied his ex-wife’s allegations of abuse, whereby she claims he was abusive towards her and their children on a flight from France to LA in 2016 that led to their divorce, and he was not charged following an investigation into his behaviour on the flight.

However, the fact that four of their six children have removed ‘Pitt’ from their names suggests there is an ongoing tension in the family. It is, on their part, a clear message that they stand by their mother. As many of them have done on the press run of her latest Oscar-tipped film, Maria. Even Knox Jolie Pitt, 16, who had not been seen for three years, stepped out alongside Jolie on the red carpet at the Governor’s Awards in LA last weekend.

The Miraval case being dragged out further not only puts them and their relationship back in the spotlight, but it means they are set for a ‘blockbuster court trial’ next year. ‘The legal bills have run into many hundreds of thousands, and it’s taken up an immeasurable amount of her time,’ Grazia’s source continues. ‘To say it’s been a painful ordeal is an understatement. She’s such a warrior who’s withstood so much in her life already, but there’s a real fear that all this stress could take a toll.’

Moving forward, Jolie has to prove in court that Pitt made her sign a non-disclosure agreement about their business deal in an attempt to control her. While Pitt must prove his counter claim that her NDA line is an attempt to rationalise the ‘secret sales’ of her shares.

Either way, it sounds like a headache. What was originally purchased as a haven for their children to grow up surrounded by peacocks while their parents sipped the fruits of their labour has become the source of all their grievances. There’s nothing to toast to about that.