Paula Patton has returned to Twitter after a two-and-a-half-year break.

Paula Patton

Paula Patton

The 41-year-old actress has tweeted for the first time since April 2014, taking to her social media account to apologise to her fans for her absence and to say "thank you" to the 182,000 people that still follow her despite her silence.

She posted on her account on Wednesday (07.12.16): "Please forgive my long absence! Feeling so grateful for every second of this life. If any of you are still out there, thank you & I'm sorry! (sic)"

Paula stopped tweeting after she and Robin Thicke announced they were divorcing in February 2014, but returned to the account a few months later to post a birthday message to their son Julian, seven, before leaving again.

The last post from the 'Warcraft' actress before her comeback was a picture taken at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles - home of the baseball team the Los Angeles Dodgers - where she took their son Julian, now six, for his birthday on April 7 2014.

The star has been using her time away from social media to try to find happiness in her life since her split from Robin, with whom she parted with last year after 10 years of marriage.

She said previously: "I want more joy. I want more happiness. I have a beautiful son [Julian Thicke, six]. I've been lucky to do what I've done and to focus on anything else is such a waste.

"It's a discipline because, trust me, we all go there. What I'm striving for is to have more joy, play, have fun with this life. Growing older is a good thing in that way, right? Keep on trucking. You have to find the place where it gets comfortable and easier."

The 'Hitch' star's decision to return to Twitter comes after she recently claimed she tries "not to be concerned" with how other people see her.

She said: "I don't think you can control that.

"You just keep living your life and have faith that everything sorts itself out. Be patient, I'm learning that later in life it's like, 'All in due time,' and the real goal is to find joy in the right now.

"Focusing on what I have right now is really good and not be concerned with things I can't control: How other people see me, what they say, it's wasted energy for me and it's never done me any good."