Actress Natalie Portman Announces Sad Personal News

Natalie Portman came forward to publicly share that she and ex-husband Benjamin Millepied have finalized their divorce after quietly separating one year ago, according to PEOPLE Magazine.

The Oscar-winning actress, 42, broke the news that her divorce from Millepied, a choreographer she met on the set of the film “Black Swan” in 2009, was finalized in France last month, where she and Millepied have lived with their son Aleph, 12, and daughter Amalia, 7.

The couple separated in July of 2023 after Portman discovered evidence of an extramarital affair by Millepied two months earlier, according to a close friend.

“It was initially really tough for her, but her friends rallied around her and helped get her through the worst of it,” a friend of the couple tells PEOPLE.

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“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.”

The insider adds that Portman and Millepied have worked together to help their children adjust to a life without mom and dad in the same picture while reminding them that their love is unconditional.

“Her biggest priority has been ensuring a smooth transition for her children,” the insider says. “She and Ben really love their kids and are equally focused on being the best co-parents they can be. Nothing is more important.”

Shortly after the affair, Portman was spotted without her wedding ring while an ally of Millepied said he was devastated at the thought of losing his wife of 10 years at the time.

He 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,” said the source.

Life hasn’t stopped for the high-achieving celebrity family: Millepied has been occupied as a choreographer for the recently released “Dune: Part Two” while Portman has worked the media circuit promoting her acclaimed film “May December” and shooting the ongoing “Fountain of Youth,” directed by Guy Ritchie.

The fairytale marriage bloomed during choreographic sequences in “Black Swan,” where Portman described at the time being entranced by Millepied’s ability to prepare her for a role that won her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2012.

“He was teaching me to dance [and] it was definitely exciting and fun,” she said. “It was beautiful.”

Now, said a friend, she is looking at life through a different, and perhaps more jaded, lens.

“Natalie hoped her marriage would be forever,” says the friend, who adds, “but she is at peace with where they are and now focused on their new normal as a family.”