Jennifer Aniston's never-ending quest for love

Mar 15, 2009, 5:00 GMT

Unlucky in love? Jennifer Aniston - "Marley & Me" UK Premiere - Arrivals - Vue West End Leicester Square - London, UK © Solarpix / PR Photos

Jennifer Aniston wishes her love life was as simple as it is in her movies.

The 'Marley and Me' actress, who was dumped by her musician boyfriend John Mayer this week, admits her turbulent relationships are far more complicated than her on-screen romances.

She said: "Relationships in the real world aren't like films, they are very strange and unpredictable - as we all know - and sometimes people get hurt.

"You can survive anything - human endurance is unbelievable. But yes, it's sad coming to the end of something special. You try to avoid all the pain but that somehow causes even more. I'm a human being, having human experiences."

Although the 40-year-old beauty - who was married to Brad Pitt for seven years - wants to be loved, she is very selective about her boyfriends.

She said: "What I look for is a man who can be a friend, someone who is an equal and one with whom I feel comfortable. I want to be happy and loved, and not settling for something second best and less than I deserve. But a relationship of and by itself is not what is going to make this gal survive - a relationship is the cherry on the top of the cake."

Despite her very public and painful separation from her ex-husband and most recent separation from John, the former 'Friends' star admits she has never given up on love.

She said: "You must never ever close your heart."