Natalie Portman seen without wedding ring amid affair rumours ahead of NZ visit

Natalie Portman appeared in Sydney without her wedding ring ahead of a visit to New Zealand later this month. Photo / AP

Natalie Portman has been seen without her wedding ring while out and about in Sydney, just months after her husband’s rumoured affair.

The Oscar winner was seen strolling along Sydney Harbour before appearing at the Opera House for a summit in support of the US women’s soccer league team Angel City FC, which she co-founded.

Portman, 42, lived in Australia for several months with her family while filming Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder in 2020 and 2021.

Natalie Portman poses with guests and panelists during the Angel City Equity Summit at Sydney Opera House. Photo / Getty Images

Her latest visit comes just two months after reports that her husband of 11 years, Benjamin Millepied, was having an affair.

Two Angel City players, Julie Ertz and Alyssa Thompson, are representing the US in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, hosted in New Zealand and Australia.

Portman will join rugby star Ruby Tui, New Zealand’s former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and FIFA general secretary Fatma Samoura for a forum on wāhine in sports, business, culture, and society in Auckland later this month.

‘EQUALIZE: The State of Play’ is a discussion on gender equity for wāhine, taking place at Auckland’s Aotea Centre on August 14.

The Hollywood star’s appearance in Sydney comes after reports she and Millepied were trying to mend their relationship amid his alleged affair.

French magazine Voici reported in June that Millepied had been spending time with environmentalist Camille Étienne, 25, and that Portman had found out about the affair in March this year.

Natalie Portman, Jacinda Ardern and Ruby Tui will take part in ‘EQUALIZE: The State of Play', a discussion on gender equity, in Auckland on August 14.

The magazine published photos of Millepied and Étienne entering his office separately and leaving two hours later. They were photographed kissing at a Beyoncé concert in Paris two days later.

A source told Page Six that Portman and Millepied “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.”

The married couple have not publicly responded to the rumours.

They first met on the set of her Oscar-winning film Black Swan in 2009, for which Millepied worked on the choreography. By 2010 they were engaged, and later married at Big Sur in California in 2012.

They are parents to two children, Aleph, 12, and Amalia, 6.