Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied divorce after 11 years of marriage

Natalie Portman and husband Benjamin Millepied have divorced after 11 years of marriage.

The Oscar-winning actor and the French choreographer quietly separated last year, a representative confirmed to People on 8 March. Portman reportedly filed for divorce in July 2023 and the divorce was finalised last month in France, where the former couple live with their two children: son Aleph, 12, and daughter Amalia, seven.

The divorce comes following reports in June last year that Millepied had an alleged affair with a 25-year-old woman named Camille Étienne. Speaking to People, a source told the outlet that navigating their separation was “initially really tough” for Portman, but her friends have “rallied around her and helped get her through the worst of it”.

“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 said, before noting that the May December star’s main priority is creating “a smooth transition for her children” following their divorce.

“She and Ben really love their kids and are equally focused on being the best co-parents they can be. Nothing is more important,” they added.

When news of the alleged affair first broke in June 2023, a source initially claimed to People that the incident was “short-lived” and “over”. The source also claimed that Millepied knew he made “an enormous mistake” and was focused on his wife and family. They acknowledged that Portman is “incredibly private” and had “no intention” of publicly addressing her relationship.

The Black Swan actor was spotted multiple times without her wedding ring last year, most notably during the couple’s 11th wedding anniversary in August 2023. Fans had speculated that Portman was separated from Millepied after she was seen sans wedding ring while attending an event in Sydney, Australia.

However, neither Millepied nor Portman publicly addressed speculation surrounding their marriage at the time. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, published last February, the Garden State star was asked how she felt about all the people “writing about [her] marriage and personal life in a very public way” amid rumours of the affair.

In response, Portman simply said: “It’s terrible, and I have no desire to contribute.”

The former couple met on the set of 2010’s Black Swan, where Millepied served as the film’s choreographer. During a SiriusXM Town Hall interview in 2018, Portman described working with Millepied as her ballet trainer and gushed over the experience. “He was teaching me to dance [and] it was definitely exciting and fun,” she said. “It was beautiful.”

Portman and Millepied were married in August 2012 in an intimate Jewish ceremony on the coast of California in Big Sur, nearly two years after announcing their engagement. But now that they have finalised their divorce, a source told People that the Star Wars alum is “at peace with where they are and now focused on their new normal as a family”.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Portman for comment.