April Florio: Brad Pitt’s Alleged ‘Other Woman’ Unhappy About Being Thrust Into The Spotlight After His Divorce

April Florio has been called the “other woman” in the divorce between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but the actor’s alleged former lover said she has nothing to do with the split and just wants to be left alone.

Ever since Pitt and Jolie made their bombshell announcement last week that they were divorcing, the rumor mill has been churning in overdrive as celebrity news outlets seize on every hint of scandal between the two. One of the most persistent rumors is about the role of April Florio, who was in the center of Brad Pitt cheating rumors back in 2003, just before Pitt’s marriage to Jennifer Aniston fell apart.

Florio was rumored to have had an affair with Pitt at the time, though both sides deny it — and Pitt’s representatives said he had never even met Florio. Now the mother of a young child has been back in the news again, with some wondering whether Brad Pitt had gone back to his alleged mistress.

Another twist in the tale.#BrangelinaDivorce https://t.co/1tP5e9uRz8

— ET Panache (@ETPanache) September 27, 2016

For her part, Florio denies any involvement and even issued a statement to the U.K.’s Mirror, saying she was sad to hear about Pitt’s most recent break-up.

“I am saddened at the end of anyone’s partnership,” Florio said. “I wish them nothing but the easiest transition into their new lives and hope that they can stay strong with a nice support system and lean on their families.”

But April Florio, who has moved back out of the spotlight since the 2003 headlines and is the mother to a young child, said she is focused on her own, much-quieter role in the entertainment industry.

“I am very serious about my work,” she told the Mirror. “I was then. I do a lot of behind the scenes work now in music and films because of all of that. I like having a private life. It’s pretty simple, don’t believe what you read.”

April Florio isn’t the only one being dragged into the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie break-up. Most of the attention has been on actress Marion Cotillard, with rumors for weeks that she and Pitt were having an affair. The two starred in the upcoming movie Allied, and the New York Post‘s Page Six reported that Angelina Jolie hired a private investigator who found out the two were sleeping together.

But Pitt is not the only one rumored to have strayed outside his marriage vows. There were rumors that Angelina had been reaching out to Jenny Shimizu, a woman who she dated close to 20 years ago.

“Angelina called Jenny this week to let her know what was going on and she told her that she wants to be a good mother to her kid,” a source allegedly told Radar Online.

But Gossip Cop, a site that tears down celebrity rumors, said there was nothing to the story and certainly nothing going on between Angelina Jolie and Jenny Shimizu.

Angelina Jolie Making "Secret Calls To Lesbian Lover" After Brad Pitt Divorce? https://t.co/gsXewHkOOo

— Suggest (@suggestonline) September 23, 2016

The site quoted a source close to the couple who claimed that the rumors were hurtful to Jolie.

“There’s nothing scandalous or secretive about that. Pitt hasn’t been ‘betrayed,’ nor is Jolie engaging with a current ‘lesbian lover.’ And, frankly, Gossip Cop doubts a ‘source close to Jolie’ is talking to an outlet like RadarOnline at this time. In fact, Gossip Cop is told the article is actually ‘outrageous,’ as well as ‘insensitive’ to all involved.

There is actually another connection between Brad Pitt’s alleged mistress and Angelina Jolie’s rumored love interest. Both April Florio and Jenny Shimizu were brought to the spotlight by Radar Online, the gossip site with a spotty track record of being correct when it comes to rumors.

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]