Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied Focused on Being 'Best Co-Parents' amid Divorce: Source (Exclusive)
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The two are parents to son Aleph, 12, and daughter Amalia, 7
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Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied attend the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California.Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied are putting their kids first amid their divorce.
The May December actress quietly filed for divorce from her director/choreographer husband in July, PEOPLE exclusively confirmed on Friday. The couple's divorce was finalized last month in France, where the family lives. A rep for Portman confirmed the news to PEOPLE.
From the start, Portman and Millepied have focused on caring for their kids — son Aleph, 12, and daughter Amalia, 7.
"Her biggest priority has been ensuring a smooth transition for her children," a friend of the couple tells PEOPLE of Portman. "She and Ben really love their kids and are equally focused on being the best co-parents they can be. Nothing is more important."
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The separation, which followed media reports in May 2023 of an extramarital affair by Millepied, has not been easy for Portman.
"It was initially really tough for her, but her friends rallied around her and helped get her through the worst of it," says the insider.
"Natalie is coming out of a really tough and painful year but she's come out the other side of it stronger and is finding joy in her family, friends and work."
There have been signs that there were issues in the marriage — Portman hasn't worn her wedding ring since last spring after reports of Millepied's "short-lived" affair came to light — but the pair have been able to take time to privately work through issues and toward a "new normal."
This past summer, a source told PEOPLE that Millepied was "doing all he can to get Natalie to forgive him and keep their family together" while Portman's "biggest priority is protecting her children and their privacy." (Reps for Portman and Millepied had no comment at the time.)
Portman is very private about her kids and tries to keep them mostly out of the spotlight. However, she noted in the past that they are aware of her fame, sharing that her kids even encouraged her to take the role of Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder.
"I feel like it's the phase of my career where I'm really trying to just impress my kids," Portman told Variety in June 2022.
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