Jolie tells of mine fears for adopted son

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie today told of her fear that adopted son Maddox will step on a landmine.

The Tomb Raider actress was visiting a de-mining training centre in Lostock Gralam, Cheshire, when she made the comment.

Jolie, 27, decided to adopt one-year-old Maddox when she was filming in war-torn Cambodia three years ago.

The actress, who recently split from her actor husband Billy Bob Thornton, is now building a home in the country where she and Maddox will live for part of the year.

She described how all the land around the property had been cleared of mines but she remained terrified the youngster would be hurt.

The Oscar-winning actress said: “Cambodia, Afghanistan and Angola are among the most heavily-mined countries in the world.

“When we were filming we were told you can’t go here, you can’t go there, you have to stick to the footpaths and I didn’t understand why.

“They explained about the landmines and I just wanted to help.

“I fell in love with the country and my son is from there. I’m now building a house there and we had to have the land cleared.

“I’m terrified that he could go for a walk and step on something so I’m very aware of what the parents there must feel. It’s so unnecessary and so cruel.”

The actress, who is patron of the Adopt A Minefield charity, said it was likely that Maddox lost his parents to landmines.

She said: “We don’t actually know how Mad lost his parents. There’s a very good chance it was landmines but we’re not sure.”

Jolie met children from Lostock Gralam Primary School when she visited the training centre, which is run by the Mines Advisory Group on the site of a former chemical plant.

She donned a flak jacket and helmet to learn how de-miners use metal detectors to make land safe in countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Bosnia and Mozambique.

One pupil, Megan Morrell, nine, said: “Angelina was lovely. She is really pretty and was helping us learn about landmines.”

Jolie, who arrived by helicopter, said she planned to move to the UK to educate Maddox.

She said: “I would love for my kids to go to school here. I think it would be outside of London – I’d like them to grow up in some space.”

But the actress said there was no chance of her ex-husband joining her. “There is not a chance that I will ever get back with Billy.”