Banderas And Griffith To Divorce After 18 Years
The stars say they have agreed to split in a "loving and friendly manner" and are happy for the "beautiful time" spent together.
Friday 6 June 2014 22:05, UK
Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith are to divorce after 18 years of marriage, saying they had agreed to split "in a loving and friendly manner".
The Hollywood stars said they were happy for the "beautiful time" they had spent together.
"We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalise our almost twenty years (of) marriage," they said in a joint statement.
The statement, signed "Melanie & Antonio", added the decision was taken "in a loving and friendly manner honouring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together".
According to the celebrity news website TMZ, Griffith filed for divorce in Los Angeles, citing "irreconcilable differences".
TMZ also reported that Griffith is seeking sole physical custody and joint legal custody of the couple's 17-year-old daughter Stella, with visiting rights for Banderas.
According to divorce documents obtained by the website, the actress is also seeking financial support from him.
The documents, which do not specify the date of separation, seek the dissolution of the marriage as opposed to legal separation or nullity of the marriage.
This is Banderas's second divorce, following his split from Spanish actress Ana Leza in 1996 after eight years of marriage.
He tied the knot with Griffith later that same year.
The 53-year-old is best known for films include the Shrek franchise and The Mask of Zorro.
Griffith, who was nominated for an Oscar for the 1998 film Working Girl, has three previous divorces.
The 56-year-old's former husbands include actor Don Johnson, whom she was married to twice.
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