Friends for life. When it comes to girl talk, Courteney Cox isn’t afraid to keep it 100% real with longtime pal Jennifer Aniston. The former Friends co-stars have been close ever since their show debuted in 1994. So, when Courteney, 53, heard that Jen, 49, separated from Justin Theroux, she made sure to encourage her not to go back to ex-husband Brad Pitt.

“Courteney immediately reached out to Jennifer urging her to leave Brad in the past after hearing rumors that Jen may be rekindling things with her ex,” a source told Hollywood Life. “Courteney was with Jen through it all with Brad and with Justin too. Through good times and the bad, Courteney has helped Jen through relationship issues over the years and she still feels very protective of her friend.”

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Apparently, the actress thinks Brad and Jen rekindling their relationship is a slippery slope. Honestly, can you blame her? Brad broke Jen’s heart by cheating on her with Angelina Jolie while filming Mr. and Mrs. Smith. “Courteney’s warning made it clear to Jen that friendly conversation with Brad may be, ‘OK,'” the source continued. “But she better not jump back in bed with him just because she is feeling weak or is going through a tough breakup!”

An insider previously revealed to In Touch that Brad and Jen have rekindled their friendship during this difficult time. “What’s surprising about her separation from Justin is that one of her greatest supporters is her first husband,” the insider explained, noting that the Fury actor, who is in the midst of a divorce from wife Angelina, “turned out to be a true champion for Jen.”

But, Courteney saw Jen through her painful divorce from Brad and was also there during Justin and Jen’s low points in their marriage. “There’d be many times when Jen would drive to Courteney Cox’s house in tears because Justin was ‘being a nightmare,'” Life & Style revealed. “Courteney has always been there for her BFF and advised her on how to deal with Justin’s behavior, but nothing Jen did seemed to work.”

Jen understandably struggled with being able to trust her estranged husband. “Justin is a classic ladies’ man and flirt, and it always drove Jen up the wall,” the source shared. “One of the worst moments for Jen was when she started seeing Justin flirt with her friends. Women are very drawn to Justin. All her celeb friends were charmed by him at one point or another… Jen would tell pals that she felt more alone being married to Justin than she did being single.” Now, the only question is will her new singleness lead to a romance with Brad?

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