After almost 12 years of largely scandal-free marriage, actress Natalie Portman (42) has separated from her partner Benjamin Millepied (46). As People magazine reports, the couple’s divorce has now been officially confirmed by an official spokesman for the prominent couple. Persistent rumors have been circulating since May 2023 that Portman and Millepied would soon separate, after an alleged affair between the French ballet dancer and a much younger climate activist came to light.

Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied met in 2010 while filming the ballet psychological thriller “Black Swan” and married in a Jewish ceremony in August 2012. For the sake of Portman, who was born in Israel, the dancer had previously converted to Judaism. The two are parents to two children together, son Aleph (12) and daughter Amalia (7).

According to the report, Portman is said to have filed for divorce in July 2023, which was now finalized in France last month. A friend of the former couple commented on the breakup drama to People, saying, “It was really hard for her at first, but her friends took care of her and helped her get through the worst.” Portman has had a “really hard and painful year” but is now emerging from the story stronger and is finding “joy in her family, her friends and her work” again.