Who needs muscle power when you've got Brad Pitt? Slimline Angelina Jolie dazzles but it's a far cry from her Lara Croft days

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By Ben Todd

Star quality: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt attended the Los Angeles premiere of her new film Salt last night


Luckily Brad was holding her tightly by the hand. For tottering along in her high heels, a rather slender Angelina Jolie looked like she just might blow over in the breeze.

The actress, whose relationship with Pitt appears to be back on track, was starring on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of her film Salt.

Her shimmering strapless mini dress was the epitome of glamour - yet it also revealed what appears to be an alarming weight loss, leaving her arms and legs looking particularly delicate


Spot the difference: Jolie at the premiere, left, and as super strong Lara Croft in Tomb Raider


Main attraction: Angelina was ready for her close-up on the Salt black carpet


Her new look is a stark contrast to her more voluptuous days as the feisty Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, her 2001 hit.

Playing a spectacularly honed superhero just might be a little beyond her these days. Perhaps the pressure of her strained relationship with Pitt, not to mention the responsibility of six children, has taken its toll.

Six months ago, there were suggestions the couple - known collectively as Brangelina - were on the verge of splitting after five years together.


Lean and leggy: Angelina kept her red carpet look characteristically simple, wearing a black strapless minidress and nude coloured heels


My moment: Brad was on hand to give Angelina some support, and rolled back the years after shaving off his beard


Frenzy of fans: LA's movie fans turned out in their thousands to see Hollywood's dazzling couple


However, as they smiled, chatted with fans and signed autographs outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, they seemed happier than ever.

Pitt, 46, has also dispensed with the straggly salt and pepper beard he has been showing off for months.


Can't take my eyes of of you: Brad couldn't take his eyes of the actress and mother of six


Private moment: The pair chatted intimately on the black carpet, and appeared to be enjoying the moment together


In her customary fashion for marking landmarks in her life, Miss Jolie, 5, has treated herself to another tattoo, taking her collection to 14.

The latest addition, inked on her inner thigh, is apparently 'for Brad', as she has explained, refusing to elaborate.


Sharing the spotlight: Angelina with her Salt co-star Liev Schreiber and his partner Naomi Watts


In Salt, she plays a CIA officer whose loyalty is tested when she is accused of being a Russian spy.

Her next movie will see her taking on the role Elizabeth Taylor made her own - Cleopatra


Body double: Actress Naomi Watts, whose husband Liev stars in the film, wore a strikingly similar look to Angelina, in a silver strapless cocktail dress with matching heels


Elizabeth Taylor's portrayal of the iconic Egyptian queen in the 1963 movie earned critical acclaim, and Jolie said her take on Cleopatra will be very different.

She told the New Straits Times: 'I will play it differently to Elizabeth Taylor, but I could never be as lovely as she was.

'We are trying to uncover the truth about her as a leader and not just a sex symbol which she really wasn't - she didn't have many lovers, maybe only two, and they're men she had children with.'


Pewter power: The Hills star Kristin Cavallari sought maximum exposure in a plunging grey minidress with spiked shoulders and matching silver heels


Family affair: Angelina's father Jon Voight made a surprise appearance at the event along with her brother James Haven


She added: 'She was misunderstood and her life story was written wrongly. I always thought her life was very glamorous.

'Then I read her story and found a different side to her - that she was a mother, leader and an intellect who spoke five languages!

'Her upbringing also reflected her relationship with Rome - all that is much more interesting than what she was summed up to be.'

Salt hits screens in the US on July 23 and in the UK on August 20.


Action star: Angelina interacts with the fans Tom Cruise style, and right, as Evelyn Salt in the role she inherited from Cruise after he pulled out
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