Natalie Portman ditches wedding ring while speaking at a gender equality panel amid claims she and Benjamin Millepied have ‘separated’ after 11 years of marriage following his affair

Natalie Portman appeared in high spirits speaking on a panel for gender equality amid claims that she and Benjamin Millepied have “divorced” after 11 years of marriage.

Despite reportedly parting ways with her longtime husband following his fling with a younger woman, the actress, 42, did not let her talk to 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 then thanked New Zealand Story for bringing them together to “share our thoughts on gender equality.”

While on the podium, 31-year-old Tui lent the mother of two her Olympic gold medal.

During the discussion, Tui praised Portman for co-founding the Angel City Football Club, a Los Angeles-based Women’s National Soccer League team.

While remembering going to an Angel City game, the Black Ferns player raved about how wild the crowd was for the team and how fast the tickets were selling.

Tui went on to praise Portman for stepping out of her “comfort zone” to advance women’s sport.

According to The New Zealand Heraldgave two-time Golden Globe winner Tui a hug after “the heartfelt exchange.”

After the event, Tui posted a hilarious TikTok video featuring Portman hesitant to return the medal.

In the footage, the rugby icon mused to her 106,000,000 followers: “So, ah, I had my medal but someone won’t give it back.”

She then turned the camera to the Thor star, who smiled as she playfully ran away from Tui.

‘Are you all right?’ Tui asked before declaring, “Oi, hey, we’re kidding, you’re the Black Swan.”

Portman did not wear her wedding ring before or after the panel.

Earlier this month, Us Weekly claimed that she and her husband had split after trying to mend their relationship following allegations that he had been unfaithful.

DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for the couple who were not available for comment until now.

However, a source close to the actress tells DailyMail that reports of the divorce are just “rumors” and “speculation” and no final decision has been made.

“After the news of his affair came out, they have been trying to work on their marriage, but are currently dying out,” a source tells Us Weekly.

Millepied, 46, who has been married for 11 years to Portman, 42, is said to have had an affair with a 25-year-old woman.

In June, Portman and Millepied’s marriage was the subject of an article in the French publication, Voiciwho alleged that the French dancer and choreographer was having an affair with the younger woman – a climate activist named Camille Étienne.

However, People reported that an insider claimed that the alleged affair with Étienne was “short-lived” and is now “over.”

She was seen wearing her wedding ring shortly after news of infidelity broke, but has been seen ringless on recent outings.

According to Page sixPortman learned of her husband’s cheating in early March and that the couple had split the previous year, but were able to work through their relationship problems.

After this alleged transgression, they had taken 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 came forward.

“He knows he made a huge mistake and he’s doing everything 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 number one priority is to protect her children and their privacy.’

Portman, who was born in Jerusalem, Israel, and Millepied, who is from Bordeaux, France, have two children together: son Aleph, 12, and daughter Amalia, six.

They met in 2009 on the set of her psychological horror film Black Swan, for which he choreographed, which resulted in her winning the Oscar for Best Actress for her compelling performance.

The lovebirds got engaged in 2010 and married in 2012 in Big Sur, California.

Millepied returned to choreography in 2018 for Portman’s dark musical drama film Vox Lux, in which she played a woman who survives a school shooting, only to become a pop star.

Recently, the lead actress promoted her latest production, the romantic drama May December starring Julianne Moore and Charles Melton, which had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 20.

A number of publications reported that the couple’s marital troubles were an open secret on the set of the Todd Haynes-directed film during its 23-day shoot last November.