Angelina Jolie says her dramatic weight loss was triggered by the death of her mother.

The 32-year-old actress - whose mother Marcheline Bertrand passed away after losing her battle with ovarian cancer in January - claims the emotional turmoil she went through caused the pounds to fall off and is adamant it had nothing to do with a desire to "look thin".

She said, "I have always been lean and this year I lost my mother and I've gone through a lot. The thing that's disturbing is that instead of people saying, 'This looks like a person that's actually dealing with something, probably from emotions.' They say, 'Does she fit into skinny jeans and look thin?'"

"I want people to understand who I am as a person is not somebody that's trying to look thin, but just trying to work through a very difficult year."

Angelina also revealed her partner Brad Pitt was "extraordinary" when her mother died.

She added to Grazia magazine, "He is just a great friend and when my mother passed he was so great. He sat with me and held her hand. After she passed away he spent the night asking me and my brother about our mother and got us to tell funny stories about her. He focused on all the love and joy we were fortunate enough to have had. He was extraordinary."