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Natalie Portman Makes Rare Public Comment About Her Divorce From Benjamin Millepied
Four months after her divorce from Benjamin Millepied, Natalie Portman spoke out about the aftermath of their split. The May December actress appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, July 15, to dish on the latest updates going on in her life.
Jimmy Fallon brought up a recent viral video from Paris Fashion Week where Natalie, 43, met Rihanna for the first time.
“You are one of the hottest bitches in Hollywood forever,” Rihanna, 36, told Natalie in the video, to which she responded, “Excuse me? I’m gonna faint.”
“I’m a f–king fan,” the “Umbrella” singer said in the clip. “Yo, I don’t get excited about anybody, but I f–king love you.”
For Natalie, meeting Rihanna was one of the highlights of the trip. “It was a formative moment in my life,” she gushed to Jimmy after the clip played.
“I think every woman going through a divorce should get to have Rihanna say to her that she’s a bad bitch,” Natalie said. “It was — it was exactly what I needed.”
“It was an amazing experience for me,” the Star Wars actress added.
Natalie also appeared on Today on Monday, prompting her to talk about the experience meeting Rihanna with Hoda Kotb and guest cohost Justin Sylvester.
“It’s the confident boost of a lifetime,” she admitted. “And it’s exactly what I needed at that moment in my life and she served it to me, and I’m forever grateful.”
“It was just like a dream. I’ve been such a big fan of hers for such a long time. Her music means so much to me, and I was so excited to see her,” Natalie continued. “I thought I was just going to go up and tell her that I was a big fan. So it was just a very big compliment that she was so kind to me. It was a very memorable life moment.”
Natalie and Benjamin’s divorce was finalized in March after 11 years of marriage. The former couple share kids Aleph, 12, and Amalia, 7. Initially, Natalie tried to give the marriage another shot following rumors surrounding her husband’s infidelity.
“Natalie is officially pulling the plug on her marriage,” a source told Life & Style in January. “She really tried forgiving Benjamin — the last thing she imagined in her life was a divorce — but she could not get past the betrayal.”
In the months that followed their split, sources told In Touch that Natalie was ready to move on.
“Natalie isn’t crying in her soup over the situation with her divorce,” an insider told the outlet in May. “Quite the contrary, Natalie is proud of how decisive she has been about splitting with Ben and protecting her kids from a drawn-out fight. She’s turning the page and not looking back.”
On June 9, Natalie celebrated her 43rd birthday, sharing a message on Instagram to thank those who have been supporting her.
“This year, on my birthday, I want to celebrate my gratitude for my friends who lift me up again and again,” she captioned a series of photos with her loved ones.
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