Natalie Portman wrote about ‘grieving wife’ day before husband Benjamin Millepied's affair came to light

Natalie Portman just learned that her husband Benjamin Millepied, whom she married in 2012, was having an affair with Camille Etienne, a 25-year-old
UPDATED JUN 3, 2023
Natalie Portman may have hinted at her marital problems a day before Benjamin Millepied's infidelity came out (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Natalie Portman may have hinted at her marital problems a day before Benjamin Millepied's infidelity came out (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Natalie Portman appeared to hint at her marital problems one day before her husband Benjamin Millepied's infidelity was revealed. On Thursday, the 'Black Swan' actress, who is an ardent reader, shared a sneak peek at a book she's currently reading with her 8.7 million Instagram followers, which is particularly about a "grieving wife."

Portman captioned a snapshot of herself with her head buried in the book, "When X, a polarizing and elusive artist, drops dead in her office, her grieving wife sets out to uncover the truth of X's life." She added, "Part narrative fiction, part fake biography — Catherine Lacey's Biography of X already feels wholly original and I can't wait to discuss with you all. #JuneBookPick."


 
 
 
 
 
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'She is incredibly private, Her biggest focus right now is protecting the kids'

Portman, 41, just learned that the ballet dancer she married in 2012 was having an affair with Camille Etienne, 25. According to sources, the twosome split last year but were able to work through their troubles — only for the recent claims to upset their world once more. An insider reported, "They have not split and are trying to work things out, Ben is doing everything he can to get Natalie to forgive him. He loves her and their family." They added, "She is incredibly private, Her biggest focus right now is protecting the kids," as reported by Page Six.

(L-R) Benjamin Millepied and Natalie Portman attends the
Benjamin Millepied was having an affair with a 25-year-old (Unique Nicole/Getty Images)

About the 'grieving wife’

When X, an outspoken artist, writer, and contentious shape-shifter, dies in her workplace, her widow, distraught and defying all advice, plunges into creating a biography of the woman she idolized. Despite being considered a pivotal creative force of her generation, X retained a tight hold over her personal history. Even her wife, CM, had no idea where X was born, and her journey to find out unleashes Pandora's box of secrets, betrayals, and tragedy.

All the while, she immerses herself in the history of the Southern Territory, a fascist theocracy that separated from the rest of the country after World War II and is now being driven into an uncomfortable reunion. Biography of X is a wonderfully produced literary journey replete with original photos compiled by X's widow that follows a grieving wife as she seeks to comprehend the lady who enchanted her. CM follows X's erratic path from Europe to the ashes of America's split regions, as well as her partnerships and feuds with everyone from Bowie and Waits to Sontag and Acker. When CM sees the breadth of X's defining creative undertaking, she realizes her wife's deceptions were far crueler than she could have anticipated, as reported by Goodreads.

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