They announced their separation on June 6, 2014, and their decision didn't surprise anyone. The split was "a long time coming," a source said.
There are many couples who prioritize their kids' stability over their own happiness. One of the ways this manifests is when they prefer to not end their relationship until after the children are older and out of the nest. It happens to many of us that even after realizing that the love is gone, we keep holding on to the relationship for the sake of our kids.
Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith, who were married from 1996 to 2015, still have good things to say about each other. They continue to be good friends and are parents to one daughter, Stella. The Mask of Zorro actor also helped the Working Girl actress raise her other kids, Dakota Johnson and Alexander Bauer. However, the reason why they stayed married for 19 years was not love. Unfortunately, they had fallen out of love with each other but stayed together to give the kids stability.
They announced their separation on June 6, 2014, and their decision didn't surprise anyone. The split was "a long time coming," a source close to the couple told Us Weekly. "There was no cheating on either side," the source added. "They had fallen out of love a while ago."
The pair's representative had said in a joint statement to Us: "We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize our almost 20-year marriage in a loving and friendly manner honoring and respecting each other, our family, and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together."
One of the prime reasons for delaying the separation was because they loved their child and wanted to protect her as long as possible. "Their daughter Stella is about to be 18 in September and they wanted to wait until [the] kids were grown and out of the house before they split up, but knew they would awhile ago," the insider said in 2014. "They stayed together for the sake of the kids," they added.
Griffith had sought child support and sole physical and joint legal custody of their then-17-year-old daughter. She was being represented by famed celebrity divorce attorney Laura Wasser. "They are committed to making the divorce go through easily and swiftly for the sake of everyone," the source added.
The couple has had many issues in their relationship, just like other married couples, but they were not able to overcome them. In fact, only a few years before announcing their separation, the Desperado actor said, "We have had as many problems as anybody. We've never hidden it."
However, their separation was also marred by rumors of infidelity on part of the Pain and Glory actor. In 2014, RadarOnline.com had quoted a source as saying that Banderas had whisked Indian actress Mallika Sherawat away for a romantic vacation in 2012. However, the Indian actress denied going on a vacation with the Puss in Boots actor. "Antonio Banderas is a wonderful man, a great dancer and an acquaintance of mine," Sherawat said in an exclusive statement to E! News. "I did not go on any vacation with him, and I'm sorry he's going through a divorce."
A Brazilian woman had also revealed that he hit on her during a party and the actor was seen with a woman during the Cannes Film Festival in 2014, which was caught on camera. The video of him in France surfaced online two weeks before Griffith filed for divorce. "Everyone in the family is distraught over this but the sad fact is they’re really not in a good place," a source told Radar. "At this point, the word is that they’re literally on the brink of a divorce," the source added.
It was reportedly a dark period for Griffith. "Melanie’s a mess. Not only is she in jeopardy of losing the love of her life, but her career is in the toilet while Antonio’s star is continuing to rise. I think Melanie’s self-esteem hit an all-time low and she believed Antonio was torturing her. For years, it’s as if she’s been consumed with jealousy over his flirting and outspoken love for beautiful women," a source told Perez Hilton, according to Huffpost.
He reportedly tried to win her back but to no avail. "Despite their problems he still loves her and will do anything to keep her from leaving him," a source had told RadarOnline. Eventually, their divorce was finalized in 2015.
References:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/antonio-banderas-struggli_n_1680299
https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/07/antonio-banderas-melanie-griffith-split-saving-marriage/
