As I’m writing this, People Magazine still has not said anything about Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied’s “separation.” The split was reported in Us Weekly, which is not known for breaking news about Natalie Portman, and yet… there’s been no pushback from Natalie’s team either way. If the split story was false, Portman’s people would have run to People Mag with a soft denial, which is sort of what happened when the affair story broke in June. “Sources close to Natalie Portman” confirmed that Benjamin had an affair and that they were working through it. The last story on People about Portman is from last Friday, where she flew to Sydney and was photographed without her wedding ring. So… I think the separation is real. I can’t believe Us Weekly broke the story. In any case, the Daily Mail also has an exclusive about what’s going on between Natalie and Benjamin.
A source close to Portman, 42, has now shared some insight into the status of their relationship – shutting down rumors that they have ‘separated’ and insisting that the actress still ‘doesn’t know’ if she will walk away from her marriage, despite feeling ‘powerless’ as a result of the infidelity.
‘[Natalie] hates that [Benjamin’s] infidelity has made her feel powerless,’ the insider told DailyMail.com. ‘She doesn’t know if she can regain her power by staying with him or leaving him. It is really a struggle to have to continue to deal with it.’
But, the source insisted that ‘deep down’, Portman and Millepied are still ‘really in love’ and are trying to work out what went wrong in their marriage.
‘They are really taking it day by day because deep down they are really in love, and they are trying to figure out what has caused the distance between them,’ the source continued. ‘She wants to stay with him, and he really wants to be with her. They both know that breaking up and staying together forever are still on the table and only time will tell what direction they will actually take.’
When the affair story broke in June, I felt that Portman was doing damage control for her own image and for her marriage. Nowadays, I kind of think she was trying to give herself some space and time to figure out how the hell she felt about Ben’s actions and what she should do next. Like, I kind of thought her ego was bruised more than anything else at first – how could he cheat on ME, I’m Natalie Portman, one of the most beautiful women in the world – but now I believe that she’s really been going through it and his affair threw her whole life into chaos. I still say she should dump his ass, but that’s my solution for everything. Throw the whole man away and rise like a phoenix from the ashes of your terrible marriage.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- 170952, Natalie Portman, Benjamin Millepied attends Benjamin Millepied And L.A. Dance Project Annual Gala. Los Angeles, California – Saturday October 7, 2017. Photograph: © PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Photoshot): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000,Image: 507689416, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Natalie Portman, Benjamin Millepied at the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Los Angeles, California – Sunday February 24, 2019. Photograph: © Joe Sutter/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 535458534, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com, Model Release: no, Credit line: Joe Sutter/PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Benjamin Millepied and Natalie Portman arrive on the red carpet of The 92nd Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 9, 2020.,Image: 563458145, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS РFee Payable Upon Reproduction РFor queries contact Avalon.red Рsales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Valerie Durant / Avalon
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- BEVERLY HILLS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – OCTOBER 16: Choreographer/dancer Benjamin Millepied and wife/actress Natalie Portman arrive at the L.A. Dance Project 2021 Gala – Unforgettable Evening Under The Stars held at The Pritzker Estate on October 16, 2021 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 638331907, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Benjamin Millepied, Natalie Portman, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones celebrating the 94th annual Academy Awards at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California,Image: 673540212, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
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- Natalie Portman attend the “May December” photocall at the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 21, 2023 in Cannes, France.,Image: 777891105, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Olivier Huitel / Avalon
She became powerless when she decided to date and then marry a man who was already in a relationship. She made a bad decision and then brought children into this world with a cheater. Take responsibility for your actions move forward and your power will maybe return.
Perfect comment and I totally agree with you!
Perfectly succinct take on the situation.
Well, I do agree with that old adage “Once a cheater, always a cheater,” having once been a man who was a Millepied-like cheater. Yes, he was with another woman when I was “wooed” by him, but in my defense, we didn’t start going out until he broke up with her. Of course, after 4 years of dating he cheated on me too. But unfortunately I also used to believe in that old saw “You always think you’re the one who’s going to make them change.” Nope. Uh-uh. That’s delusional. So I feel for Portman.
I agree 💯! Let’s not give Natalie the benefit of the doubt here. She also played a part in this. Yes, Millepied is a douche, but Natalie should’ve known better also.
Women like Nat think they’re different–that’s why.
Yep, she deluded herself into thinking he wouldn’t dare to cheat on Natalie Portman. He’s always had cheater written up and down his face (IMO).
We all knew that it was doomed from the start. But she believed that he could not do better than her, and therefore thought that he would stay loyal to her. But it does not work like that, Nathalie! The men who cheat don’t do it to upgrade but because it was in their nature to begin with… that dude was never a keeper.
I want to be cynical and say she is working out how much money she will lose in the divorce. But they have 2 kids so maybe that is why she didn’t dump him asap. ps. Call atty. L. Wasser.
Agree I think she’s keeping a very tight control on the narrative because this is gonna be a fight for assets. I hope they had a good prenup.
This story feels like BS Natalie would not have made the split public if she wasn’t looking to divorce or Benjamin is still seeing; Camilla and he wants a divorce. Ether way if they were still trying to work things out, they would have kept it on the down low, like they did the last couple of months.
Cheating is always wrong, no matter what is happening in your marriage. You don’t step out on your spouse. Especially when you have young children.
That said, I don’t think it’s always a matter of “dump their whole ass.” Sometimes it is and sometimes it’s not that simple. Sometimes an affair is a one-time thing, a mistake, and the marriage is actually worth saving.
The thing is, her husband is a serial cheater. He cheated on his then partner with her. Now she’s the one being wronged. This is not a case of an otherwise strong, long-term marriage hitting a really rough patch and one person straying as a way of dealing with it. This is a “once a cheater always a cheater” situation.
That marriage is never gonna recover, how can you trust someone after that kind of mess?
I feel sorry for Natalie, being humiliated in public is not fun, and she seems like a private person. Also, she’s such a beautiful woman but you can see the toll this is taking on her face, she looks drawn and frumpy right now. Dump the friggin swan-man Natalie and get you a hot young dude instead that puts a spring in your step and makes you smile again
I think we should stop viewing cheating as humilliation, that concept puts the focus on the wronged partner when it should be on the cheater.
Gael Garcia Bernal also cheated on her, but I guess it hits different when you have kids.
I agree, she shouldn’t feel embarrassed since she’s not the guilty party in this situation, but she does strike me as the kind of lady who would be, very private and I don’t know.. wanting to be classy? She’s definitely not a Kardashian Hollywood type lol who see opportunity in scandal and would try to cash in.
Anyway, she always annoyed me in Star Wars but I have a soft spot for her from how great she was in Léon and the fact that she was a child actress, it’s got to be hard to have your head screwed in right after that
From what I remember of my vintage gossip Portman started off as the side piece with Gael Garcia Bernal before that relationship ended and they became a couple. She has a history with that type of man and relationship.
You lose them how you get them.
Isabella Boylston (Millepied’s ex when Natalie was his sidepiece) has a pretty amazing looking life. She’s married, she’sa principal at American Ballet Theater, and she has all kinds of projects she works on. She’s a great example of getting rid of a cheating man and moving on with her life.
Natalie’s probably feeling powerless because she’s getting a lot of “I told you so!” messages right now. So be it. She could probably gain a lot of respect by admitting she lost him the way she got him. That would be a really, really difficult thing to do because it would mean swallowing a large amount of pride, but if I’m remembering the line from Chicago correctly, there’s nothing as satisfying to the public as a reformed “sinner.” (Benjamin’s the sinner, not her. But she broke major Support Women’s Code when she became the side chick of a man in a previous relationship). Might be an interesting tactic.
Women who don’t stab other women in the back when a man is at stake are extremely rare.