I was saddened to hear about Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's split. I've interviewed both individually for various movies they've appeared in and each time, the talk has turned to their significant other.

When I spoke with Pitt in London in June 2003 for his animated feature "Sinbad," I asked him about his marriage to Aniston and how they both deal with the trappings of Hollywood celebrity.

He said that Aniston was not only beautiful, but had the "biggest heart of anyone I've ever known."

During an interview for Aniston's film "The Good Girl" in 2002, I queried Aniston on being married to a man who frequently make the Sexiest Man Alive list.

She told me that her marriage to Pitt was one of the easiest, most wonderful things in her life. "When you marry your best friend, it's not difficult to be happy," she said.

The pair's seemingly happy life seemed to hit a rough spot when Pitt started filming the epic "Troy" and was in Malta for six months.

"It's very hard to be deeply in love with someone and they're away for a long period like that," said Aniston in an interview when her TV series "Friends" was wrapping up. Aniston visited Pitt on the set in June 2003.

After shooting "Troy," Pitt immediately began work on "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" with Angelina Jolie, and then on "Oceans 12" with George Clooney, where the cast spent much time at Clooney's Italian villa. By the way, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" arrives in theaters in June. Who will Pitt or Aniston be dating by then? I wonder.

Much ado was made about the sparks between Pitt and Jolie during the filming of their movie, but Pitt's publicist squashed the rumors of the two spending massive amounts of time together.

In May at the Cannes film festival, Jolie reportedly stayed away from a party that Aniston and Pitt were attending, despite her invitation, in an effort not to make Aniston uncomfortable.

Pitt, 41, and Aniston, 35, have been together since being set up on a blind date in 1998. They were married in a lavish Malibu wedding in 2000.

"This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration," Pitt and Aniston said in a joint statement to People magazine through a publicist about their split.

"We happily remain committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another. We ask in advance for your kindness and sensitivity in the coming months."

The Winter Blues

Where do the stars head for winter vacation?

If you're Mariah Carey, you pack up your 14 trunks of skiwear and other assorted items and head to Aspen.

Kate Hudson frequents there with her husband, Chris Robinson, and baby, since mom, Goldie Hawn, and Kurt Russell have the family ranch there. Luke and Owen Wilson, Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas were spotted in Aspen over the holiday season, too.

Woody Allen is heading to hot locales and using the chance to play clarinet with his band in Barcelona, Spain…David Letterman took son, Harry, to St. Bart's (the Caribbean). Uma Thurman was shown dipping her bikini-clad body in the water at St. Bart's and so was Kirsten Dunst.

Angelina Jolie. takes good will vacations. She and her adopted son, Maddox, recently made a stop in Beirut, Lebanon, to visit Palestinians in a refugee camp. She's also planning on visiting areas affected by the tsunamis.

Tsunami Songs

Boy George has joined a number of other British singers, including Cliff Richard, to record a song for the victims of the Asian tsunamis.

The song is entitled "Grief Never Grows Old." Other stars have been approached about performing on the release, including Robin and Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees.

Meanwhile, the 1985 African famine relief benefit song, "We Are the World," is being revived for tsunami relief efforts. The new Chinese version features Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung and other top stars from Hong Kong.

And finally, E! reports that Simon Cowell (yes, Mr. Cranky Pants has a heart) and Sharon Osbourne are hoping to gather some big names to record Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" and they will donate funds to tsunami earthquake victims.

Michelle Solomon's gossip column, Celebrity Chatter, appears each Monday. You can email Michelle at Michelle Solomon@Celebrity Chatter.