Recent reports claim that, after 11 years of marriage, Natalie Portman and husband Benjamin Millepied have separated.
An insider told Us Weekly on Monday that “they’ve been trying to work on their marriage but are currently on the outs,” stemming directly from news that Benjamin, 46, had cheated on Natalie, 42, with 25-year-old climate change activist Camille Étienne. Speculation about the relationship was renewed after Natalie was spotted without her wedding ring during an event in Sydney, Australia on their 11th wedding anniversary August 4th.
READ MORE: Natalie Portman’s Husband Is Reportedly Begging For Forgiveness After Photos With 25-Year-Old Leak
Natalie Portman Spotted Without Wedding Ring On Anniversary Amidst Separation Rumors
While attending the Angel City Equity Summit in Sydney this week in support of the National Women's Soccer League team she co-founded, Natalie Portman left her ring finger bare, particularly noticeable as it also happened to be her and Benjamin Millepied's 11th wedding anniversary, August 4th. In a group photo with a group of event guests and panelists, the jewelry omission is particularly obvious—as was the lack of husband Benjamin's presence on her arm at the event. The moment was a stark contrast to the couple's 10th wedding anniversary just a year before, when Natalie posted a sweet tribute to her husband on Instagram for the occasion, with the caption "It keeps getting better."
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The pair, who met on the set of Black Swan in 2010 and married in 2012, share children Aleph, 12, and Amalia, 6. Natalie was pregnant with Aleph when she accepted her Best Actress Oscar for Black Swan, which Benjamin choreographed. In her speech she called out her dancer flame, saying "To my beautiful love, Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed the film and has now given me my most important role of my life," before pointing to her stomach. The choreographer had been in a long-term relationship with dancer Isabella Boynton before meeting the Black Swan star on set.
Benjamin Millepied Caught In Alleged Affair With Famous French Activist
News of the couple's likely separation follows the public airing of their relationship troubles, with Benjamin being seen publicly with famous French environmental activist Camille Étienne. Benjamin and Camille were recently photographed entering and exiting Benjamin's office building together on May 24th and exiting separately 10 minutes apart 2 hours later, with Page Six reporting that the marital problems between Natalie and her husband were an "open secret" on the set of Natalie's upcoming movie May December, and that "word at the premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this month was that the couple were still on thin ice," despite being spotted kissing over dinner in Cannes on May 29th. The romantic dinner, of course, occurred just days after the damning photos were taken. Benjamin, a former principal dancer for the New York City Ballet, did not attend the festival with his wife.
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French outlet Voici then reported that Benjamin was spending time with Camille instead, with paparazzi photos backing up the claims. The French magazine also added that Natalie supposedly found out about the affair in early March. The young woman at the center of the scandal, Camille Étienne, is well-known in France for her environmental activism—she's friends with other upstart ecologist Greta Thunberg, and was named as one of the "50 French women who made 2020" by French Vanity Fair.
At the time of the infidelity rumors becoming public, a source close to Natalie and Benjamin told Page Six that, "[Benjamin and Natalie] have not split and are trying to work things out. Ben is doing everything he can to get Natalie to forgive him. He loves her and their family."
It seems that, perhaps, Natalie has had it with the speculation—but neither hers nor her husband's reps have commented on the separation rumors as of yet.
