Angelina Jolie opens up about life as a single mother

— -- In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Angelina Jolie opens up about being a single mother, how her six children are doing after her split from Brad Pitt and new health issues she faces.

The Oscar-winning actress, who is also guest-lecturing at the London School of Economics while working in Hollywood, told the magazine for its current cover story, “It’s just been the hardest time, and we’re just kind of coming up for air."

The interview took place at the family's new six-bedroom home in Los Angeles, California, where she welcomed the reporter in to witness first-hand how her life is now.

"[This house] is a big jump forward for us, and we’re all trying to do our best to heal our family,” she said.

For sake of the six kids, Jolie, 42, wouldn't talk directly about the breakup with Pitt. But she did say her children have "been very brave."

She continued, "We’re all just healing from the events that led to the [divorce] filing. ... They’re not healing from divorce. They’re healing from some ... from life, from things in life.” The duo agreed in January to settle their divorce privately.

While she referenced "events" that she wouldn't talk directly about, she did say she and Pitt "care for each other ... [and] are both working toward the same goal."

In May, Pitt said that he recently quit drinking and is also happy with his current situation.

"I can't remember a day since I got out of college when I wasn't boozing or had a spliff, or something ... I'm really, really happy to be done with all of that. I mean I stopped everything except boozing when I started my family. But even this last year, you know -- things I wasn't dealing with. I was boozing too much," he told GQ.

Since cutting out alcohol, Pitt said he's been very happy in 2017 and he has "feelings in my fingertips again. I think that's part of the human challenge: You either deny them all of your life or you answer them and evolve."

In addition to describing her life as a single mother apart from Pitt, Jolie said that with such a hectic schedule, she not only developed hypertension last year, but Bell’s palsy too.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Bell's palsy "causes sudden weakness in your facial muscles. This makes half of your face appear to droop."

Jolie said she didn't put herself first in her life, which she said caused the conditions to manifest. She's since recovered and credits acupuncture. She's also changed her life to prioritize her kids and her health.

“I actually feel more of a woman because I feel like I’m being smart about my choices, and I’m putting my family first, and I’m in charge of my life and my health. I think that’s what makes a woman complete,” she added about her life now.