Jennifer Aniston says the relationship between her parents and growing up still affects her today

Bygones might be a thing of the past, but when it comes to romantic relationships, what was shaped at home growing up can have a lasting impact. Just ask Jennifer Aniston.

Recently, the actress sat with wsj extension. Magazine for the fall women’s fashion issue. Among the topics she discussed were her parents, Nancy Dow AND John Anistonwho divorced when she was a child — and how their often tumultuous dynamic still affects her.

“It’s always been a little difficult for me in relationships, I think, because I was really a little lonely,” she told the publication. “My parents, looking at my family’s relationship, didn’t make me go, ‘Oh, I can’t wait to do this.'”

Aniston, 54, has been single for as long as she and the actor Justin Theroux they announced their divorce in February 2018 after two years of marriage (and seven years together total). Previously, The morning show the actress was married Brad Pitt (2000 to 2005) and A-list celebrities such as Vince Vaughn AND John Mayer.

“I didn’t like the idea of sacrificing who you were or what you needed, so I didn’t really know how to do it,” Aniston said wsj extension. Magazine of his weaknesses in relationships. “So it was almost easier to just be a soloist. So I didn’t have any real training in that give and take.”

Aniston seems perfectly comfortable living the single life, as she finds fulfillment in other areas of her life.

“It’s just about not being afraid to say what you need and what you want. And that’s still a challenge for me in a relationship,” she said. “I’m really good at every other job I do, and that’s the only area that’s a bit…”

Aniston has previously hinted at the “destabilized” nature of her parents’ relationship and, by implication, her family life. In 2020, she said Interview magazine that as a child she “felt insecure” – but that actually helped her thrive in the years when the going got tough.

“I guess I have my parents to thank,” she said. “You can be angry or you can be a martyr, or you can say, ‘Do you have any lemons? Let’s make lemonade.'”