Angelina Jolie once tried to hire a hitman to kill her

It must have been a dark time for the Hollywood actress.

Despite having a hugely successful acting and filmmaking career, it has been a tumultuous few years for the 49-year-old.

It was only around December last year that Jolie finalised her divorce with her ex-husband Brad Pitt, eight years after the former couple announced their split.

Since 2016, she has appeared to put all her energy into caring for her six children while also maintaining her career and artistic integrity by directing films such as First They Killed My Father and Without Blood.

It seems as though her relationship breakdown isn't the only instance of difficulty that the American actress has experienced throughout her life.

In an interview with IMDB, Jolie revealed that in 2001, while experiencing suicidal thoughts, she made an attempt to hire a hitman to carry out her own murder.

"This is going to sound insane but there was a time I was going to hire somebody to kill me," she said.

Apparently, Jolie thought that her death would be easier on her family if she was murdered rather than taking her own life.

This train of thought helped her decide to see if she could seek out a professional to put an end to her suffering.

Later in 2003, during a conversation with The Face, she added: "They’re not that hard to find in New York. As insane as it sounds, I think a lot of people consider suicide when they’re young.

"I was very aware that so many people around me, like my mother, would feel as though they didn’t give enough or do enough, if I’d taken my own life.

"So my solution to that was if someone else had taken my life – like in a ‘robbery’ – then it would be murder and it wouldn’t be that anyone would feel they’d let me down."

Angelina also claimed that she had "planned to take out cash over a certain amount of time, so there wasn’t a big chunk in my bank account" in order to pay her killer.

"He was a decent enough person and asked if I could think about it and call him again in two months," she added. "Something changed in my life and I figured I’d stick it out."

Just imagine what that call two months later would have been like!

In a 2011 chat with 60 Minutes, Angelina recalled a darker time in her life.

She said: "I went through heavier, darker times and I survived them. I didn't die young, so I’m very lucky. There are other artists and people who didn’t survive certain things. I think people can imagine that I did the most dangerous and I did the worst,' she said at the time.

"For many reasons I shouldn’t be here. You think of those too many times where you came close to too many dangerous things, too many chances taken too far."

If you’re struggling with suicidal thoughts or any mental health issues then you can contact Samaritans on 116 123. You can also contact Text About It, the free, anonymous, 24/7 messaging service.