Sharon Stone and Antonio Banderas aren't just friends—they're family. The actress took a very strong stand on Thursday, June 26, against reports that she and the recently single Mask of Zorro star were romantically involved following his split from Melanie Griffith.
"Antonio is a brother to me, and Melanie has been with me for each and every birth of my three children," Stone, 56, told the Daily Mail of the actor, 53, and his estranged wife, 56. "They are my family."
Of the dating rumors, which first surfaced in Grazia, she added, "I find this salacious, unkind, unfounded reporting to be the typical pretense of what passes as 'journalism' today."
Banderas and Griffith first revealed their split earlier this month. In a statement to Us Weekly via their rep on June 6, the couple said, "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."
Married since 1996, the soon-to-be exes share daughter Stella, 17. In divorce papers obtained by TMZ, Griffith requests child support and sole physical and joint legal custody. She also asks for spousal support.