Brad Pitt saw some of his children once over the Christmas period

A source told People magazine that the 'Big Short' star had "one visit with several of the younger kids".

Though it is unclear when the visit took place, over the New Year, the children were seen skiing and sightseeing with their 41-year-old mother in Crested Butte, Colorado.

It was previously claimed the 'Fury' actor was left feeling "broken" after having spent Christmas without his kids.

A source said: "He desperately misses having his kids with him for Christmas and New Year.

"He's broken down in tears so many times - he's not ashamed to cry anymore. Brad is like a broken man."

Earlier this week, Angelina slammed Brad in court documents while agreeing to his request that documents relating to their custody battle be sealed from public view.

After the 'Moneyball' star filed documents last month that accused the actress of compromising the privacy of their brood and alleged she "appears to be determined to ignore even agreed upon standards relating to the children's best interest and she is attempting to clear the way to put in the public eye any allegations she can, without regard to the impact on the minor children," Angelina slammed his statements as audacious in her own response paperwork.

In the documents, she accused Brad - who was accused of "getting physical" with Maddox on a private jet last September - of lashing out because he's "terrified that the public will learn the truth."

The documents claim the 'Tree of Life' star is trying to "deflect from [his] own role in the media storm which has engulfed the parties' children."

And though the FBI and Los Angeles' Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) closed investigations into Brad, determining no action was needed following his alleged row with Maddox, the documents suggested the actor wanted their divorce to be private in order to avoid details of their probes being made public.

The paperwork said: "There is little doubt that [Brad] would prefer to keep the entire case private, particularly given the detailed investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dept. of Children and Family Services into allegation of abuse."