Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied Divorce After Quietly Separating Last Year

Natalie Portman quietly filed for divorce from Benjamin Millepied, and now the former couple is officially divorced.

The actress, 42, and her director/choreographer former husband of 11 years, had their divorce finalized last month in France, where Portman and Millepied, 46, live with their children, son Aleph, 12, and daughter Amalia, 7.

The couple have been navigating their separation under-the-radar with many media reports stemming in May 2023 of an extramarital affair.

“It was initially really tough for her, but her friends rallied around her and helped get her through the worst of it,” a friend of the couple tells PEOPLE.

“Natalie is coming out of a really tough and painful year but she’s come out the other side of it stronger and is finding joy in her family, friends and work.”

The couple has been focused on helping their kids adjust and have been photographed showing a united front as a family over the course of the last year.

“Her biggest priority has been ensuring a smooth transition for her children,” the insider says. “She and Ben really love their kids and are equally focused on being the best co-parents they can be. Nothing is more important.”

Portman has not worn her wedding ring since last spring after news of Millepied’s “short-lived” affair surfaced. The couple was able to make time to privately work through issues and toward a “new normal” as of late.

In June 2023, a source told PEOPLE that Millepied was “doing all he can to get Natalie to forgive him and keep their family together” while Portman’s “biggest priority is protecting her children and their privacy.”

Since then, both have also juggled heavy work commitments along the way. Millepied is the choreographer on Dune: Part Two, the hit sequel starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, while Portman has handled myriad projects, including press promotion for her critically acclaimed performance in May December. She is currently shooting the Guy Ritchie–helmed film Fountain of Youth.

The Oscar-winning actress has also been very involved in her soccer team, Angel City, and is prepping for the release of her next project, the limited TV series Lady in the Lake.

Portman supported her former husband on the red carpet in September 2022 at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Carmen. In May, Portman was also seen walking carpets by herself for the premiere of her HBO docuseries Angel City and at the Cannes Film Festival.

Intensely private, neither Millepied nor Portman have spoken publicly about speculation surrounding their marriage. In an interview with Vanity Fair in February, she demurred when asked about the public chatter, saying, “It’s terrible, and I have no desire to contribute to it.”

The two married on August 4, 2012 after meeting on set of the 2010 film Black Swan. 

“He was teaching me to dance [and] it was definitely exciting and fun,” she said. “It was beautiful.”

Now the couple is focused on their next chapter.

“Natalie hoped her marriage would be forever,” says the friend, who adds, “but she is at peace with where they are and now focused on their new normal as a family.”