Natalie Portman appeared in high spirits while speaking at a gender equality panel amid claims she and Benjamin Millepied have ‘separated’ after 11 years of marriage.
Despite reportedly parting ways with her longtime spouse following his affair with a younger woman, the actress, 42, did not let heartbreak prevent her from chatting with former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura and Ruby Tui.
‘Honored to speak alongside my heroes last night,’ the Oscar winner captioned a slideshow of snaps from her speaking engagement in Auckland on Monday.
She went on to thank New Zealand Story for bringing them together to ‘share our thoughts on gender equity.’
While on stage, Tui, 31, loaned the mother-of-two her Olympic gold medal.
Smiling: Natalie Portman appeared in high spirits while speaking at a gender equality panel amid claims she and Benjamin Millepied have ‘separated’ after 11 years of marriage
Having fun: Despite reportedly parting ways with her longtime spouse following his affair with a younger woman, the actress, 42, did not let heartbreak prevent her from chatting with former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura and Ruby Tui
During the discussion, Tui praised Portman for a co-founding the Angel City Football Club, a Los Angeles-based Women’s National Soccer League team.
While recalling going to an Angel City game, the Black Ferns player raved about how wild the crowd went for the team and how quickly tickets sold.
Tui proceeded to commend Portman for leaving her ‘comfort zone’ to help progress women’s sports.
According to The New Zealand Herald, the two-time Golden Globe winner gave Tui a hug after ‘the heartfelt exchange.’
Following the event, Tui posted a hilarious TikTok video with Portman, who seemed hesitant to give back the medal.
In the footage, the rugby icon mused to her 106,000 thousand followers: ‘So, ah, I had my medal, but someone won’t give it back.’
She then panned the camera to the Thor star, who smiled as she playfully ran away from Tui.
‘Are you all right there?’ Tui asked, before declaring, ‘Oi, hey we’re kidding, you’re the Black Swan.’
‘Honored to speak alongside my heroes last night,’ the Oscar winner captioned a slideshow of snaps from her speaking engagement in Auckland on Monday
An important conversation: She went on to thank New Zealand Story for bringing them together to ‘share our thoughts on gender equity’
Funny: Following the event, Tui posted a hilarious TikTok video with Portman, who seemed hesitant to give back the medal
In the footage, the rugby icon mused to her 106,000 thousand followers: ‘So, ah, I had my medal, but someone won’t give it back’
Portman did not wear her wedding ring before or after the panel.
Earlier this month, Us Weekly claimed that she and her husband have separated after they attempted to repair their relationship following claims he had been unfaithful.
DailyMail.com have contacted representatives for the couple who have so far not been unavailable for comment.
However, a source close to the actress tells DailyMail that the reports of separation are just ‘rumours’ and ‘speculation’ and there has been no firm decision made.
‘After news of his affair came out, they’ve been trying to work on their marriage but are currently on the outs,’ a source told Us Weekly.
Millepied, 46, who has been married to Portman, 42, for 11 years, is said to have had an affair with a 25-year-old woman.
Split: Earlier this month, Us Weekly claimed that she and her husband have separated after they attempted to repair their relationship following claims he had been unfaithful; pictured September 2022
In June, Portman and Millepied’s marriage was the subject of an article in the French publication, Voici, which claimed the French dancer and choreographer had an affair with the younger woman – a climate activist named Camille Étienne.
However, People reported that an insider claimed the alleged affair with Étienne was ‘short-lived’ and is now ‘over.’
She was seen wearing her wedding ring shortly after the infidelity news broke, but has been seen without the ring in recent outings.
According to Page Six, Portman learned of her husband’s cheating in early March, and that the couple had separated last year but were able to work through their relationship problems.
After this alleged transgression, they had been taking steps to do what they could to save the marriage.
A source previously confirmed to DailyMail.com that the couple were still together after the affair claims emerged.
‘He knows he made an enormous mistake and he is doing all he can to get Natalie to forgive him and keep their family together,’ a source revealed to People.
‘Natalie is incredibly private and has no intention of playing this out in the media. Her biggest priority is protecting her children and their privacy.’
Portman, a native of Jerusalem, Israel, and Millepied, who’s from Bordeaux, France, share two children together: son Aleph,12, and daughter Amalia, six.
Trouble: The couple were married for 11 years before their reported split
Happier times: The couple pictured at the UK Gala screening of Thor: Love and Thunder last year in London
They met back in 2009 on the set of her psychological horror film Black Swan, for which he did the choreography, that resulted in her winning the Best Actress Oscar for her riveting performance.
The lovebirds got engaged in 2010 and were married in 2012 at Big Sur, California.
Millepied again worked on choreography for Portman’s dark musical drama film Vox Lux in 2018, in which she played a woman who survives a school shooting, only to become a pop star.
Most recently, the leading lady has been promoting her latest production, the romantic drama May December with Julianne Moore and Charles Melton, which made its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 20.
A number of publications reported that the couple’s marital woes were an open secret on the set of the Todd Haynes directed film during the course of the 23 day shoot this past November.
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