Natalie Portman reveals how Rihanna helped her through difficult Benjamin Millepied divorce
She made her shine bright light a diamond.
Natalie Portman revealed that Rihanna played a role in helping her through her divorce from Benjamin Millepied during an interview on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Monday.
The duo crossed paths at Paris fashion week in January, when Rihanna called the “Black Swan” star “one of the hottest bitches in Hollywood forever.”
Portman, 43, told Fallon, 49, that it was a “formative moment” for her during a challenging period.
After watching the interaction back on the show, Fallon noted: “That’s a big deal.”
Portman chimed in: “I think every woman going through a divorce should get to have Rihanna say to her that she’s a bad bitch.”
Fallon replied, “That’s exactly right — that is correct.
“Every woman should,” he added, as he rose to his feet and enthusiastically applauded the Oscar-winning actress.
Portman remarked: “It was exactly what I needed.”
In the video shared earlier this year, Portman told Rihanna, “I love you,” as the singer reciprocated: “I am a f–king fan.”
The Grammy winner, 36, also told Portman that she doesn’t “get excited about anybody” but was starstruck about meeting the actress outside of the Dior Haute Couture show in the French capital.
Portman quietly filed for divorce last July, and it was finalized in February.
Reports surfaced in August that the split was due to Millepied’s alleged affair with 26-year-old climate activist Camille Ètienne.
Despite stepping out without her wedding ring, Portman told Vanity Fair in February that she did not wish to “contribute” to “terrible” rumors about her relationship at the time. Millepied has not spoken on the allegations.
Portman had been living with Millepied and their two children, Aleph, 13, and Amalia, 7, in France at the time. The former couple married in August 2012.
While the Golden Globe winner reportedly had a “really tough” time with the split, per People magazine, she praised her friends for their support in a June Instagram post.
“This year, on my birthday, I want to celebrate my gratitude for my friends who lift me up again and again,” Portman captioned a slideshow of photos with her loved ones.
In May, dating rumors swirled when Portman was spotted with Paul Mescal outside a London pub.
The actress, however, told the Guardian in July that she’s “just friends” with the “Normal People” star.
