Natalie Portman and husband Benjamin Millepied are reportedly working through marriage struggles after Millepied’s “enormous mistake”—an alleged extramarital affair with a 25-year-old woman.
Natalie, 41, and Benjamin, 45, reportedly separated last year after 10 years of marriage and are currently weathering cheating allegations after paparazzi pictures were published in the French news outlet Voici.
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Natalie’s Husband Caught In Alleged Affair With Famous French Activist
Natalie and Benjamin, who met on the set of the 2010 film Black Swan and married in 2012, are allegedly trying to work through their marriage issues and remain together despite Benjamin being seen publicly with famous French environmental activist Camille Étienne, who is known for her actions of civil disobedience in the name of ecology and who has made 5 films to date about her cause including Why Are We Fighting, about climate change.
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.
Voici then reported on Friday that Benjamin has been spending time with Camille instead, with the aforementioned photos to back it up. The French magazine also added that Natalie supposedly found out about the affair in early March.
Natalie and Benjamin share children Aleph, 12 years old this month, 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.
Who Is Camille Étienne?
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.
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Camille has been in the public eye consistently in France for her advocacy, with near 300,000 followers on Instagram and many appearances on television programs under her belt. She also has reportedly written a book, For An Ecological Uprising: Overcoming Our Collective Powerlessness. The activist is notably nearly 2 decades Benjamin Millepied's junior.
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."
Natalie Portman recently posted a rare glimpse into her marriage with an Instagram marking their 10th wedding anniversary, stating that "It keeps getting better":
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The Oscar-winning actress recently supported her husband on the red carpet last September for the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Carmen, which he directed. However, he attended the premiere this April solo. The pair last worked together on Natalie's film Vox Lux in 2018.
Reps for both Natalie and Benjamin had no immediate comment, per People.
