Brad Pitt says Bradley Cooper helped him become sober in touching speech

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were together for 12 years and married for two of those years when the actress filed for divorce, in 2016. Finding it difficult to cope up with the separation the actor turned to alcoholism. Now that he is sober, the actor revealed he had help from his fellow Brad in reaching sobriety.

When the 56-year-old won the award for the "Best Supporting Actor" at the National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala on Wednesday night, for his work in "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood," presenting him the honour was none other than his good friend Bradley Cooper.

As Brad Pitt climbed the gala's stage amid huge applause from the audience, he hugged his friend and revealed that the Oscar-Award winning actor played a huge role in his sobriety, TMZ reports. Admiring the 45-year-old, Pitt said: "Thank you, Bradley. Bradley just put his daughter (2-year-old Lea whom he shares with ex Irina Shayk) to bed and then rushed over to do this."

Following his much-publicised divorce from the "Maleficent" actress, Brad spent a year and a half at Alcoholics Anonymous in 2017, and has been sober ever since. The "Ad Astra" actor gushed over his friend and revealed, "I got sober because of this guy, and every day has been happier ever since."

Giving the "Silver Linings Playbook" actor a big thumbs up, Pitt continued, "I love you, and I thank you."

The father-of-six had earlier also opened up about his struggle with alcoholism in an interview with Anthony Hopkins, his co-star in 1994's western epic "Legends of the Fall." "Well, I just saw it as a disservice to myself, as an escape," Pitt said about resorting to alcohol, in the interview for Interview Magazine last month.

Pitt fell in love with Jolie in 2004 when they were shooting for "Mr. And Mrs. Smith." He was married to "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston at the time, but the duo separated in 2005. Pitt and Jolie remained strong for 12 years, parenting six children together, and announced their engagement in April 2012 after seven years together. They tied the knot on August 2014 in a private ceremony in Château Miraval, France. However, in September 2016, Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt citing "irreconcilable differences."