Natalie Portman is hoping to have a fresh start in 2024 after Benjamin Millepied’s affair. While the ‘Black Swan’ actress is “still hurt”, it appears that she is hoping to move on. “She didn’t give up on [her marriage] lightly,” a source revealed to US Weekly in their latest issue. “But it became pretty apparent toward the end of last year that her heart had gone out of it.”
A second insider sheds light on the timeline of their difficulties, stating, “Natalie and Ben actually started having problems over a year ago.” Millepied, 46, “would sometimes not return home and was taking work trips that didn’t add up,” raising suspicions. The source added that Portman, 42, “began to suspect infidelity.”
The aftermath of Millepied’s actions left the acclaimed actress “humiliated and utterly crushed”, according to the second source. Presently, Portman is choosing to “take time to focus on herself.”
Natalie Portman is finally planning DIVORCE after struggling to 'get past' Benjamin Millepied cheating allegations, insiders claim – as actress takes time to 'process and heal' while living apart from estranged husband https://t.co/D0lFQ8f7Sz pic.twitter.com/T3WP8WMJJl
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) January 12, 2024
Natalie Portman was not seen wearing her wedding ring
Portman and Millepied separated after 11 years of marriage in August 2023, as per US Weekly. Speculation about their split gained momentum in June 2023 amid rumors of Millepied’s alleged affair with 25-year-old climate activist Camille Étienne.
Despite initially standing by her estranged spouse, Portman hinted at the impending breakup earlier this month during an interview with The Wall Street Journal. While discussing her life in Paris with her two children, she notably omitted any mention of Millepied. The actress has also notably seen not wearing her wedding ring on several occasions.
Natalie Portman is seen without her wedding ring as she returns to Sydney to support Angel City Football Club. pic.twitter.com/ZXGJbVYCnb
— Natalie Portman Updates (@nportmanonline) August 4, 2023
‘You lose him how you get him’
Portman “looked the other way for a long time,” according to a second source who spoke with Us. The actress’s friends reportedly advised her, “‘You lose him how you get him,'” harking back to the beginning of the estranged spouses’ relationship. Millepied had left his live-in girlfriend, Isabella Boylston, to be with Portman after they collaborated on the set of 2010’s “Black Swan” as per the outlet.
“Benjamin is so charming and eloquent — he really casts a spell on women. He has a power of drawing people in,” the insider reveals. Portman and Millepied got married in 2012 and share a son Aleph, 12, and a daughter Amalia, 6, together.
However, their relationship came to an end in August 2023. The source shared that it was Natalie who decided to leave, and within weeks, she had “moved out.” Despite the separation, the insider notes that “Even though she has been living with the kids apart from him, he’s still very much in their lives.”
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Portman suspected Ben to be ‘cheating on her for many years’
The ‘May December’ actress suspected that “Ben has been cheating on her for many years,” the insider claimed. Despite this, Portman “wants to keep the peace for the sake of their family, so she is being very civil.”
After enduring the challenging year, Portman is now shifting her focus towards the future, immersing herself in work and staying close to her inner circle. “She’s incredibly smart and philosophical about everything she does, but at the end of the day, she’s a realist who isn’t going to stick around trying to save something that’s unfixable,” the first insider emphasized, adding that Portman “gave this marriage her best shot.”