Who Is Emma Portner, Elliot Page’s Soon-to-Be-Ex-Wife – And How Does She Know Justin Bieber?
Elliot Page and Emma Portner’s three-year marriage became the latest of several celebrity relationships to meet their demise in 2021. The Juno and Umbrella Academy star recently filed for divorce from Portner, his wife since 2018.
Here’s what you need to know about Portner, who started posting affectionate photos with Page on social media in 2017.
Emma Portner is a dancer and choreographer from Canada
Portner, 26, is a professional dancer and choreographer from Ottawa, Ontario. She moved from Canada at the age of 17 to study at the prominent Ailey School in New York City.
The choreographer’s experimental work in movement design and direction began to explode in 2015, when she starred in Justin Bieber’s music video for “Life Is Worth Living” and helped to choreograph his Purpose World Tour.
According to The Cut, the young performer also assembled her own dance collective and choreographed the rock musical Bat Out of Hell for London’s West End. At 22, Portner became the youngest-ever female artist to choreograph a West End Musical, The Globe and Mail reports.
In addition to being featured on the covers of Dance Magazine and Dance Spirit, Portner has choreographed for major brands like Apple and Netflix, as well as individual artists like Maggie Rogers. Dance Magazine revealed that she crafted new works for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and New York City Ballet, making her one of very few creators to successfully bridge the gap between the commercial and concert dance worlds.
Portner is also a dance educator and teaches contemporary jazz regularly at Broadway Dance Center in NYC.
Elliot Page announced his marriage to Emma Portner in 2018
Page was as intrigued by Portner’s creative work as many of the artists she’s worked with. When Page first noticed Portner on Instagram – which is where he reached out to his future wife – he thought the choreographer seemed “creative,” talented, and “so cool,” according to New York Times Style Magazine.
Portner and Page unofficially confirmed their relationship on social media in 2017, when they started to share cute snapshots together.
The Juno star announced that he and Portner had tied the knot in a surprise private ceremony on Jan. 3, 2018. Sharing pictures of the couple wearing understated matching wedding bands, Page wrote on Instagram, “Can’t believe I get to call this extraordinary woman my wife.”
Page announced that he was trans and used he/they pronouns on Dec. 1, 2020. His wife was supportive, commenting “Love you so much Elliot” on his Instagram post.
She also shared a loving message of her own for her partner, writing poignantly: “I am so proud of @elliotpage. Trans, queer and non-binary people are a gift to this world. I also ask for patience & privacy but that you join me in the fervent support of trans life every single day. Elliot’s existence is a gift in and of itself. Shine on sweet E. Love you so much.”
The ‘Juno’ star filed for divorce from his wife in 2021
Just two months after Page’s announcement about his gender identity, and just over three years after they got married, Portner and Page agreed to a divorce.
According to TMZ, 33-year-old Page – who currently stars as Vanya Hargreeves on Netflix’s Umbrella Academy series – filed the documents for a contested divorce in Manhattan on Jan. 26, 2021.
The former couple released a joint statement about their split not long after the court records were released. According to Out Magazine, they announced: “After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce following our separation last summer. We have the utmost respect for each other and remain close friends.”
