Natalie Portman is relishing in newfound freedom after her divorce with Benjamin Millepied.
The Oscar winner is sharing “gratitude” four months after finalizing her legal proceedings to separate from Millepied, the French choreographer whom she met on the set of “Black Swan” (2010) and later married in 2012, following rumors he was having an extramarital affair.
“This year, on my birthday, I want to celebrate my gratitude for my friends who lift me up again and again,” she wrote Monday in the caption of an Instagram post, which features a carousel of selfies, group photos and travel snapshots from around the world.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL HUMAN,” commented Kerry Washington, while Reese Witherspoon — who produced Portman’s “Lucy in the Sky” and purportedly taught her how to use Instagram — wrote: “Happy Birthday, you incredible diamond of a human! I love you.”
The flood of well wishes also included heartfelt tributes from the likes of Chris Hemsworth, whom Portman starred opposite from in multiple “Thor” films, her “May December” co-star Julianne Moore, Tracee Ellis Ross, Mindy Kaling and fellow recent divorcée Isla Fisher.
French publication Voici first reported in June 2023 that Millepied, who has two children with Portman, was having an alleged affair with environmental activist Camille Étienne.
Portman filed for divorce the following month, which only became public once the matter was already finalized. The actor, whom Millepied molded into a bona fide ballerina for “Black Swan,” said earlier this year that the surrounding discourse was genuinely “terrible.”
“I have no desire to contribute to it,” Portman told Vanity Fair in February.
Scott Garfitt/Associated Press
A friend of the former couple later told People that she’s “finding joy in her family, friends and work” and is mainly focused on “ensuring a smooth transition for her children.”
“I lead a very non-Hollywood life in L.A.,” Portman told Vanity Fair.
“I live on the east side,” she explained. “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. We’re not going to Hollywood parties, we’re having dinners at home in the backyard.”