Natalie Portman spent years building her adult life around a love story that seemed like a perfect artistic fairy tale. But beneath the surface of her marriage to French choreographer Benjamin Millepied, fractures were quietly forming. When reports of his infidelity emerged in 2023, the private storm she had been navigating became impossible to ignore, and she filed for divorce in France that July. The divorce was finalized in February 2024.
Their story began in 2009 on the set of *Black Swan*, where Millepied was hired to train Portman for her Oscar-winning role as the tormented ballerina Nina Sayers. She trained five to eight hours daily, losing 20 pounds under his guidance, and later described the entire experience as living in dreamland. “I met my husband on it. So, I think I was in like dreamland,” she recalled during a SiriusXM Town Hall.
“So, it seemed pretty fun the whole time. ”
The connection was intense from the start. Portman, known for her disciplined, intellectually rigorous approach to life, was drawn to Millepied’s passionate, spontaneous artistry. Friends observed that being matched creatively is not always the same as being valued emotionally in the long, quiet years after the spotlight fades.
Their union produced two children, son Aleph, born in 2011, and daughter Amalia, born in 2017, and a marriage sealed in a private 2012 ceremony in Big Sur, California. Before the marriage, Portman had already built an extraordinary career. She broke through as a child in *Léon: The Professional* in 1994, then balanced blockbuster fame as Padmé Amidala in the *Star Wars* prequels with a Harvard education. She famously declared, “I don’t care if college ruins my career.
I’d rather be smart than a movie star. ” Roles in *Closer*, *V for Vendetta*, and finally *Black Swan* cemented her as one of her generation’s most serious actresses, earning her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2011. At the Oscars that night, she thanked “my beautiful love, Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed the film and has now given me my most important role of my life. ” It was the peak of her professional triumph and the beginning of her most personal chapter.
She later credited the film’s director Darren Aronofsky as a true collaborator. “It really felt like a partnership,” she said of the experience. For years, the marriage appeared strong to outsiders. Portman maintained deliberate boundaries around her private life, refusing to do photo shoots with her children.
She wanted them to develop as individuals away from the glare of fame. She continued delivering acclaimed performances in *Jackie*, *Annihilation*, and later *May December*, while prioritizing motherhood. “My kids are always a source of excitement because you just see them develop into the individuals they are,” she said. In 2023, French and American media reported that Millepied had engaged in a short-lived extramarital affair with a younger French climate activist in her mid-20s.
Sources described the discovery as devastating for Portman, who had quietly been evaluating strains in the marriage. Millepied reportedly expressed deep regret, calling it an enormous mistake, and fought to save the family. The couple attempted to work through it privately at first, but the damage ran deep. Portman never publicly addressed the betrayal.
She focused on shielding her children and handling the situation with characteristic dignity. A source close to the couple said, “Her biggest priority has been ensuring a smooth transition for her children. She and Ben really love their kids and are equally focused on being the best co-parents they can be. Nothing is more important.
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Her career continued with the same selective depth that defined it. She delivered praised work in *May December* in 2023 and stepped into television with *Lady in the Lake* in 2024, playing a 1960s housewife turned investigative journalist. Upcoming projects included Guy Ritchie’s *Fountain of Youth* and ventures through her production company Mountain A. Friends noticed she leaned more heavily on family and close friends during the period of dismantling a shared life.
In 2025, Portman was linked to French music producer Tanguy Destable, known as Tiper. They were spotted together in Paris, sharing quiet moments that suggested something genuine was forming. Friends described her as guarded but present, opening up again after deep hurt carried its own invisible walls. In April 2026, Portman shared news marking a new chapter.
Speaking with *Harper’s Bazaar*, she confirmed that she and Destable were expecting their first child together. At 44, she was pregnant with a third baby, joining Aleph, now a teenager, and Amalia. “Tanguy and I are very excited,” she said. “I’m just very grateful.
I know it’s such a privilege and a miracle. ”
Portman continues to move forward with resilience. The tragedy of her marriage ending was not that it happened, but what it revealed about the unspoken imbalances in a relationship born of creative intensity. Yet she has chosen to rebuild on her own terms, embracing motherhood, meaningful work, and renewed joy.
She once reflected on the importance of grounding, saying, “It’s really important to have people in your life who keep you on the ground. ”
Her story is far from over. At 44, she is a mother watching her children grow, an artist still choosing roles with instinct and care, and a woman grateful for the miracle of new life.
