Antonio Banderas and his wife Melanie Griffith have decided to call it quits.
According to TMZ, reports about Griffith’s alleged divorce filing began surfacing on the Internet Friday, June 6. She reportedly cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for her split from the 53-year-old Spanish actor. However, their joint statement insinuates that the decision was mutual and they appear to be on amicable terms.
“We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize our almost twenty years (of) marriage,” the Spanish and US actors said in a joint statement. The ultimate decision to divorce was made “in a loving and friendly manner honoring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together,” the statement explained.
Although no specific reason was said to have prompted the divorce, several news outlets have reported possible reasons. According to Yahoo! Celebrity, an insider close to the couple reportedly explained that they’d been drifting for years now.
“Melanie and Antonio have had issues for a long time. They used to be so affectionate with each other, but more recently they’ve been drifting apart,” the insider explained.
Then, another source actually edified those details by adding that the marriage was only an arrangement of convenience. “There’s been an arrangement in their marriage, for some time, to stay together despite their problems, because of the children and his Catholic religious beliefs. They have worked hard to keep this split as amicable as possible.”
The news of their official split comes just months after separation rumors began surfacing. Several media outlets reported that Banderas was spotted kissing another woman while Griffith reportedly battled drug abuse.
Banderas and Griffith were together for 18 years. They tied the knot back in 1996, just one month after the Mask of Zorro actor officially divorced his ex-wife, Ana Leza. The have one child together – a 17-year-old daughter, Stella Banderas. The marriage was the second for Banderas and the fourth for Griffith. The official date of their legal separation was not specified.
Image via Antonio Banderas, Wikimedia Commons
