Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas have been married, divorced and are now apparently very much still on good terms. The former couple turned heads in Los Angeles over the weekend, spotted sharing a dinner together. As per a report shared by the Daily Mail, the sixty-eight-year-old actress and her sixty-five-year-old ex walked arm-in-arm after leaving the restaurant, with their 29-year-old daughter, Stella, walking just behind them.
The pair got together back in 1996 and spent eighteen years as husband and wife. During that time, Griffith went as far as having his name permanently inked onto her arm, framed inside a heart. She later sought laser treatment to have it removed, starting the sessions shortly after word of their separation went public.
As per a report shared by Today, Melanie Griffith cited irreconcilable differences when the split was officially confirmed on June 6, 2014. Both put out a joint statement at the time, sharing that
“We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize our almost twenty years marriage in a loving and friendly manner, honoring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together.”
Melanie Griffith reveals she held no hard feelings toward Antonio Banderas following their split:
As per a report shared by ABC News back in 2017, Melanie Griffith had already made peace with the end of her marriage. She opened up to Porter magazine at the time, reflecting on what she felt went wrong between them.
“I think part of the reason my marriage to Antonio fell apart was because I was stuck. Nobody else is to blame. It’s just that I personally got stuck and I won’t let that happen again. I want to enjoy life, I want to do whatever I want to do,” she shared.
The two were already on friendly enough terms by then to celebrate Stella’s birthday together. Griffith, who has been open about her struggles with addiction over the years, also addressed whether her personal battles had affected her as a mother.
“I was a totally functioning mom. I wasn’t like a drunk-on-the-floor, out-of-it person. I didn’t do some things I probably should have done but, mostly, I was there for my kids. They had a sort of privileged gypsy life,” the mother of three said.
Back then, Griffith was also candid about her reluctance to get back into dating after the divorce, sharing that nobody had even asked her out.
“I’m shy with men now, very reticent. I haven’t met anyone in the almost two years [Antonio and I] have been divorced. No, I don’t go on dates, nobody has asked me on a date. I go out with my girlfriends,” she added.
Melanie Griffith credits her divorce from Antonio Banderas for helping her stop having seizures:
As per a report shared by Page Six, Melanie Griffith opened up about her epilepsy diagnosis back in 2017. The Working Girl actress revealed that she had suffered from mysterious seizures for years before finally getting answers. The Lolita actress made the disclosure at a Beverly Hills discussion hosted by Sharon Stone for the Women’s Brain Health Initiative, where fellow panelists included producer Paula Wagner and fashion designer Tamara Mellon.
Melanie Griffith shared that the turning point came during an incident on a yacht in Cannes, where she suffered two seizures back-to-back.
“It was an anomaly they didn’t know what it was — I had these seizures. I never knew why it happened or what it meant or what it was going to do to me … nobody explained anything,” she said.
“The last two that I had — I was in a boat outside of Cannes, on a big yacht, and I was extremely stressed out … every seizure that I had was at a point where I was extremely stressed,” she added.
That episode was what finally prompted doctors to take her condition seriously. As per her account, she received her actual diagnosis in France.
“I was in France, that’s where I got care, not here. And then when I came back, I was diagnosed with epilepsy, which no one had said to me over a period of 20 years … no one paid enough attention to diagnose me,” she explained.
By 2017, Griffith had been on medication for four years without a single seizure. That being said, she had her own theory about what truly helped her heal, a remark that drew a strong reaction from the room.
“I’ve been on a drug for four years … I haven’t had a seizure, which is amazing — but I also got divorced, which I think is the real healer for me,” she said,
drawing laughter from the eighty VIPs in attendance.
“I mean it! I am not stressed anymore!” Griffith insisted.
Edited by Sezal Srivastava