Jennifer Aniston just dropped a gut-wrenching confession — her heartbreak over Matthew Perry didn’t begin the day he died … it began long before.

The actress said in a new interview she and the rest of her “Friends” did everything they could to help Matthew over the years — but his battle with addiction was a brutal uphill battle he could never fully escape … and it felt like they’d been “mourning” him for a long time before he died.

Jen told Vanity Fair that losing Matthew was devastating for them, and of course, his fans — but admits she’s relieved knowing he’s finally free from his pain. “There’s a part of me that thinks this is better,” she said.

Jen and Matthew were undeniably close — she’s opened up about him often since his passing, even marking the one-year anniversary last October with a heartfelt tribute.

Matthew was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his L.A. home on Oct. 28, 2023, and was later pronounced dead at age 54 — the coroner ruled he died from the acute effects of ketamine.