Natalie Portman credits 'amazing' Rihanna meeting for lifting spirits amid divorce

Natalie Portman has credited a chance meeting with Rihanna for boosting her spirits amid her divorce.

Back in January, a clip showing the Oscar-winning actress speaking with the Umbrella hitmaker at the Dior fashion show in Paris, France began to circulate on social media.

The footage showed Natalie telling Rihanna she was a massive fan and the superstar reciprocating by calling the 43-year-old "one of the hottest b**ches in Hollywood".

Reflecting on the encounter during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Monday night, Natalie labelled the moment an "amazing experience".

"It was an amazing experience for me," she smiled. "I think every woman going through a divorce should get to have Rihanna say to her that she's a bad b**ch. It was exactly what I needed. It was a formative moment in my life."

Natalie announced that she had finalised her divorce from dancer/choreographer Benjamin Millepied in March.

The former couple, who share two children, had been married since 2012.

Elsewhere in the conversation, Natalie spoke about what it was like filming her new TV series Lady in the Lake in Baltimore, Maryland. However, she noted that she was unable to try any of the local cuisine, particularly the crabcakes.

"I'm vegan so I couldn't try the crabcakes and that's the thing there. But they do have vegan crabcakes at all the vegan restaurants, which is very exciting. They use like jackfruit or heart of palm, some substitute crab-esque (alternative)."

Lady in the Lake is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday.