diff --git a/docs/release-notes.md b/docs/release-notes.md
index 4af761ebb..6217d726a 100644
--- a/docs/release-notes.md
+++ b/docs/release-notes.md
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@
 toc_depth: 2
 ---
 
+## 0.45.3 (January 24, 2025)
+
+#### Fixed
+
+* Turn directory into string on `lookup_path` on commonpath comparison [#2851](https://github.com/encode/starlette/pull/2851).
+
 ## 0.45.2 (January 4, 2025)
 
 #### Fixed
diff --git a/starlette/__init__.py b/starlette/__init__.py
index 4ce70328c..ebd289900 100644
--- a/starlette/__init__.py
+++ b/starlette/__init__.py
@@ -1 +1 @@
-__version__ = "0.45.2"
+__version__ = "0.45.3"