Natalie Portman says she’s grateful for her friends following Benjamin Millepied divorce

Natalie Portman has expressed her gratitude for her friends as she celebrated her 43rd birthday.

On Sunday, June 9, the No Strings Attached actress took to Instagram to share various photos of her with her friends and to take note of all they’ve done for her. “This year, on my birthday, I want to celebrate my gratitude for my friends who lift me up again and again,” she captioned the post.

After posting many well-known celebrities took to the comments to wish the Black Swan actress a happy birthday. “Happy birthday !!!! Oh I love you!!!” Julianne Moore commented while Kerry Washington wrote, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL HUMAN.”

“Happy Birthday, you incredible diamond of a human! I love you,” Reese Witherspoon joined in commenting on the birthday celebration.

Portman’s birthday comes just three months after her divorce from Benjamin Millepied was finalized. The former couple was married for 11 years and share two children, son Aleph, 12, and daughter Amalia, seven.

The actress had filed for divorce in July 2023, butPeople reported that the two officially finalized in France in February. The divorce came amid reports that Millepied was unfaithful. A source told People that Portman had a group of friends who “rallied around her” to help her “get through the worst of it.”

“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,” they told the outlet, before noting that the May December star’s main priority is creating “a smooth transition for her children” following their divorce.

“She and Ben really love their kids and are equally focused on being the best co-parents they can be. Nothing is more important,” they added.

The former couple met on the set of Black Swan back in 2010, where Millepied served as the film’s choreographer. During a SiriusXM Town Hall interview in 2018, Portman described working with Millepied as her ballet trainer and recalled loving the experience. “He was teaching me to dance [and] it was definitely exciting and fun,” she said. “It was beautiful.”

Recently, fans have begun to speculate that Portman may be dating actor Paul Mescal as the two were recently photographed together last month.

In the photos obtained by theDaily Mail, they were seen smoking cigarettes outside of Bar 69 in London. The actors were seen attempting and failing to hold in their laughs as they wore matching plain white T-shirts. Portman was also dressed in a pair of light-wash jeans, while Mescal wore black trousers.

Portman and Mescal first met last year while they were doing a joint “Actors on Actors” interview with Variety. At the time, the Normal People actor admitted how excited he was to be speaking with her, as he called her “brilliant.”

“If my drama school self knew that I would be talking to you, I would pinch myself many, many times!” he said during the interview.