Melanie Griffith is erasing her romantic past. The actress, 56, split from her husband Antonio Banderas earlier this year, and is now taking steps to distance herself from the soured relationship.
After announcing her split from Banderas in June, Griffith is slowly removing a prominent tattoo baring his name. The Dark Tourist star has long sported the heart-shaped ink on her right bicep, reading, “Antonio.”
In recent weeks, Griffith has been seen out and about with the tattoo slowly fading. On Monday, July 7, the Oscar nominee wore a bandage across her arm, seemingly healing from another removal procedure.
Banderas, 53, married Griffith in May 1996 and the couple later welcomed daughter Stella Banderas, now 17.
After 18 years of marriage, the couple released a statement in June confirming the end of their union. The week of the announcement, Griffith attended an event with the tattoo still fully intact.
“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,” they said at the time.
A source told Us Weekly that the dissolution of the marriage was due simply to the love not staying alive between the two stars. “There was no cheating on either side,” the source said. “They had fallen out of love awhile ago. 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. They stayed together for the sake of the kids.”
