PARIS:
The friend of French actress Marion Cotillard has hit out at the "stupid and baseless accusations" that she helped cause the split between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. "I don't usually talk about my private life, which until now I have always carefully protected," French actor Guillaume Canet said in an Instagram post on Friday. But the relentlessness of the celebrity press, the "stupidity" of some journalists and the hatred of certain internet users required him to speak up, he said.

They "have pushed me to declare the pride, love, respect and admiration that I have for Marion for staying so strong and intelligent in the face of these stupid and baseless accusations," he added.

Cotillard on Wednesday rebuffed suggestions that she played a role in the "Brangelina" break-up by having a fling with Pitt.

"Many years ago, I met the man of my life, father of our son and of the baby we are expecting," wrote the 40-year-old Cotillard, who has been with Canet since 2007.

"He is my love, my best friend, the only one that I need," she said.

Soon after entertainment website TMZ reported Tuesday that Jolie had filed for divorce, speculation arose of an affair between Pitt and Cotillard.

They are co-stars in the soon-to-be-released wartime thriller "Allied", and filmed together in London.

Though Pitt and 41-year-old Jolie married two years ago, they have been a couple since 2004 and have six children together, three of whom are adopted.

The split between two of the world's biggest stars spells the end of one of Hollywood's highest-profile celebrity couples.