Natalie Portman Kept Her Divorce From Benjamin Millepied So Quiet Fans Didn't Even Know It Happened

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After months of speculation about Natalie Portman’s marriage to Benjamin Millepied, her spokesperson confirmed to People what fans had suspected — their union was over. The couple not only split, but they are already divorced. They managed to navigate a super private breakup under the radar, and we are now just learning the true timeline of the divorce.

The French outlet, Voici, was the first to report Millepied’s alleged affair with 25-year-old climate activist Camille Étienne in June 2023. At the time a People insider noted, “He is doing all he can to get Natalie to forgive him and keep their family together. Natalie is incredibly private and has no intention of playing this out in the media. Her biggest priority is protecting her children and their privacy.” While fans thought they were seeking therapy, Portman was already done with the marriage.

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Benjamin Millepied and Natalie Portman (Photo by Roger Kisby/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Benjamin Millepied and Natalie Portman.

The May December star filed for divorce last July in France which is likely why she was able to keep the personal details so private for so long — there was no worry that a tabloid was waiting at the courthouse to publish the documents. Portman and Millepied’s divorce was finalized last month, per People, and the 42-year-old actress has been leaning on her friends who have “rallied around her and helped get her through the worst of it,” according to an insider close to the star.

“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,” they added. Portman had hinted that things were not great between her and Millepied when she told The Wall Street Journal that she “lives in Paris with her two children,” Aleph, 12, and Amalia, 6 — there was no mention of her husband. In a recent Vanity Fair profile, she noted that she had “no desire to contribute” to the cheating rumors surrounding Millepied. Portman described it as “terrible” and that was her official statement on the story.

Portman will continue to live in France and navigate her new co-parenting chapter with Millepied, but the pain of the split still lingers. “Natalie hoped her marriage would be forever,” the source concluded to People. “But she is at peace with where they are and now focused on their new normal as a family.”

Before you go, click here to see all the celebrity couples who have stayed together after cheating scandals.

Kate Middleton, Prince William
Kate Middleton, Prince William

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