CANNES, FRANCE: Natalie Portman was seen in public with her husband Benjamin Millepied amidst allegations of his affair with 25-year-old climate activist, Camille Etienne. However, behind closed doors, sources indicated that Portman was deeply affected by the situation. Despite the accusations, the actress has chosen to remain with her husband and focus on repairing their marriage, as per insiders.
Portman has been in France, her husband's home country, for more than a week now. Initially, she attended the Cannes Film Festival, where she promoted her upcoming film, 'May December', a romantic drama directed by Todd Haynes, featuring co-stars Charles Melton and Julianne Moore. "She’s still wearing her wedding ring and making appearances like everything is under control. Publicly, she’s trying to keep her head up," sources told Radar Online.
'Her heart has been ripped out'
Another insider claimed Portman was "desperately clinging to the hope that her marriage can be saved." However, there were concerns in her close circle about her decision to stay in the marriage. "Her heart has been ripped out," a close friend of the actress said. The 'Black Swan' actress, 42, shares two children with Milepied, son Aleph, 12, and daughter, six-year-old Amalia. "As the old saying goes, cheating is only a symptom of something wrong in the marriage," sources said, adding, "Natalie could be in for a long and brutal divorce battle."
'She thought she could trust him'
According to another insider, Portman reportedly discovered her husband's affair back in March. Her friends suggested that the marriage had been going through difficulties for a while, with the couple even separating at one point in 2022 before eventually reconciling. "There were long periods where Benjamin was effectively a single parent while Natalie was away making movies. Natalie gave him a lot of freedom to do as he pleased because she thought she could trust him," the insider claimed.
A friend said, "It’s not hard to see why Benjamin and Camille were drawn together. He’s a world-famous dancer and choreographer and budding director; she’s a high-profile climate activist and documentary filmmaker." Notably, the pair are both French. "They had lots to talk about," sources said.
