49-year-old Angelina Jolie, who recently arrived in Venice, couldn’t escape the paparazzi cameras. She was spotted with her boyfriend, not just while strolling through the city, but as the couple was leaving their hotel.
Jolie came to Venice not just for leisure. She was there for the premiere of the film *Maria*, about the famous opera diva Maria Callas, in which Angelina plays the lead role.
It turns out she arrived in Italy not alone, but with her beau—40-year-old rapper Akala, who is of African descent. The couple even stayed at the same hotel, where photographers caught them as they were leaving.
After the photos surfaced in the media, Angelina hastily denied the rumors of a romance with the rapper through a friend, claiming they were “just friends.” However, few people believed this, as Jolie has consistently denied any flings since filing for divorce, trying to present herself as a super-devoted mother who has given up her personal life for her children.
However, Jolie did not entirely deny her relationship with Akala, whose real name is Kingsley McLean-Daley. Over the past year, she has been seen in public with him several times. Moreover, Angelina even introduced her friend to two of her six children, whom she raised with Brad Pitt before the divorce—19-year-old Zahara and 18-year-old Shiloh. This happened in May when the star, with her daughters, flew to the Calabash Literary Festival in Jamaica. Jolie was also seen with the rapper later, including in Milan, where the couple enjoyed a romantic candlelit dinner late into the night.
By the way, Akala is not the only man spotted with Jolie by the paparazzi over the past 12 months. Photographers have also managed to capture Angelina with New York composer and writer Justin Levaine. She grew close to him while working on her producer theatrical debut—the Broadway musical *Les Misérables*.
It is worth noting that Jolie took a significant risk by heading to Venice with the rapper. It was known that her ex-husband Brad Pitt was also scheduled to appear at the same film festival, with whom she has a very tense relationship. He was set to fly in for the premiere of his film *Wolves*, in which he starred alongside George Clooney. However, Angelina managed to persuade the organizers to separate her and Pitt to avoid a scandal. As a result, the premieres involving the ex-spouses were scheduled three days apart, allowing Angelina to leave Venice before Brad’s arrival.