Natalie Portman Ditches Ring While Having Lunch With Benjamin Millepied and Their Kids After Calling Rumors of His Alleged Affair 'Terrible'
Are Natalie Portman and husband Benjamin Millepied working it out?
On Thursday, February 22, the duo was spotted out to lunch in Los Angeles with their two kids, but despite the family gathering, the actress was noticeably missing her wedding ring.
The mom-of-two, 42, appeared to be in good spirits, though in photos and videos obtained by another news outlet, she and the choreographer didn't show any PDA.
In June 2023, rumors swirled over Millepied, 46, having an affair with much younger climate activist Camille Étienne — and since then, Portman has stepped out on countless occasions without her ring.
For months, the pair stayed silent on the allegations, but Portman touched on the situation in her recent Vanity Fair interview.
"It’s terrible, and I have no desire to contribute to it," she replied when asked "what it was like" to have people talking about her marriage.
When the interviewer noted, "[I] don't love asking about it, either," Portman acknowledged, "I can imagine."
Elsewhere in the chat, the brunette beauty discussed how she likes to keep her personal life away from the spotlight.
"I lead a very non-Hollywood life in L.A. I live on the east side. I have some friends who are in the entertainment industry, but many friends who are not, and we don’t do industry things when we hang out," she spilled. "We’re not going to Hollywood parties, we’re having dinners at home in the backyard."
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As OK! reported, insiders claimed the Star Wars alum was struggling to make amends her husband.
"Natalie is very private about her personal life, but it’s clear that she’s starting over," a source explained. "She’s decided to move on with her life without Benjamin by her side."
"Deciding to take the ring off was a huge decision," the insider continued. "Natalie tried to forgive Benjamin, to look at all sides of the situation. She considered every way to salvage the marriage, but she realized it would never be the same, because the betrayal was too deep."
According to another insider, the Oscar winner and her spouse "went to counseling" since she wanted to "make it work for the children's sake," but it proved too big a hurdle to overcome.
"She desperately wanted to keep her family together, but at the end of the day, the trust she and Benjamin had shared was irrevocably broken," the source added.
The pair first met on the set of Black Swan and tied the knot in 2012.
Daily Mail reported on Portman and Millepied's lunch outing.