Natalie Portman was at the French Open yesterday in a very cute outfit – Dior hat for sun protection, floral dress, and espadrille wedges. That’s not the accessory that people were paying attention to though. Because at various points during the match, Natalie lifted her left hand and her engagement ring was prominently displayed. Up until a week ago this wouldn’t be a conversation but all that changed when French publication Voici reported that Natalie’s husband Benjamin Millepied was having an affair with Camille Etienne, a climate change activist.
Voici broke the story last Friday, June 2. Shortly after PEOPLE published an article about the situation and, tellingly, there was no denial.
A source tells PEOPLE, "[The affair] was short-lived and it is over."
Portman, 41, and director/choreographer Millepied, 45, who met on set of the 2010 movie Black Swan, remain together despite his "enormous mistake," a source close to the couple tells PEOPLE.
"He knows he made an enormous mistake and he is doing all he can to get Natalie to forgive him and keep their family together," says the source. "Natalie is incredibly private and has no intention of playing this out in the media. Her biggest priority is protecting her children and their privacy."
Voici’s exclusive came just about a week after Benjamin and Camille were photographed going into his office in Paris separately on May 24 and leaving separately two hours later. Two days after that, Natalie and Benjamin were seen at Beyoncé’s show in Paris. And three days after that, Natalie and Benjamin were photographed kissing at dinner in Paris.
Obviously all of this is incredibly embarrassing for everyone involved, particularly Natalie who’s been famous for most of her life and who has kept her personal sh-t locked down pretty tight, especially after having children. That understandably only applies to what she knows though. It’s hard to lock down something you don’t know… until you know it.
So I appreciate how she’s handling the sh-ttiest of circumstances. She’s not denying but she’s not hiding, she’s going about her business, she’s out there at the French open with her ring on, because if the ring was off it would probably be an even bigger story, she’s hoping that people will soon lose interest, and letting the Scandoval take the front page.
