Antonio Banderas is someone who has managed to establish the perfect image of a romantic Latin lover. This Spanish actor has starred in several movies and is popular all across the world. He recently voiced for the animated series Puss In Boots 2. But this charming hunk was quite unlucky in love.
Antonio has been in some high-profile relationships. He was married and divorced twice. His weddings ended on a drastic note. He remained in a relationship with Melanie Griffith (known for the SMILF series) for nearly two decades. They even had a daughter together.
Antonio spent his childhood in Spain before shifting to the USA. People do not know much about his personal life, especially the days he spent in the USA. As of 2023, Antonio is not married to anyone. He’s been dating Nicole for a long time. But they have not revealed any plans for a wedding yet.
Antonio Banderas and Ana Leza
Antonio had an ugly fallout with his first wife, Ana Leza. He paid huge alimony to settle the case. According to Antonio, the decision was too quick. He did not evaluate everything properly before deciding to marry Ana Leza.
Ana was an actress and a part-time English tutor. Ana started giving English classes to Antonio. It was Ana who actually helped him devise an understanding of modern cinema. Ana also aided in the translation of the “Los Reyes del Mambo” movie’s script.
Despite his divorce, Antonio has always mentioned how Ana helped him in the beginning phases of his career. In fact, Antonio says that he would have failed to achieve success without Leza’s assistance. Both dated for only six months before deciding to tie the knot.
Their relationship grew closer with time as Ana started helping Banderas with his Hollywood career. So how did this adorable love story fizzle out?
Well, it was during the shooting of the movie Too Much that he met Melanie Griffith. Antonio became badly infatuated with her. He felt that his relationship with Ana was not genuine. So he decided to abandon Ana.
It culminated in a bitter, acrimonious divorce battle in which the court awarded Ana 50% of Antonio’s film roles for life and ordered Antonio to contribute 12,000 euros per month financially. Antonio complained about the procedure, describing it as “business” the whole way through.
Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith
Antonio says it clearly: “I never had any affair with Melanie.” It was a deep infatuation that was hard to resist. This infatuation quickly turned into genuine love.
As soon as the two people encountered one another, they fell head over heels in love with one another, and regardless of the fact that both of their marriages were still in trouble, they eventually gave in to the connection that had been blossoming between them.
Antonio was accused of “abandoning” his wife of 10 years for a gorgeous on-set fling, which sparked quite a controversy at the time of their getting acquainted. The Spanish actor doesn’t mind following his emotions and revealing his strong affection for his co-star.
Love is an immaterial idea that, without your knowledge or consent, will monopolize your attention and give you the confidence to act in peculiar and unusual ways throughout your life. He was also confused by Melanie. It was necessary for him to make a decision.
Unfortunately, neither Antonio nor Melanie’s relationship with each other, precious as it was, thrived. In announcing their split in June 2014, they said they wanted to do it “with love and friendship.” The way in which they have parted ways has been nothing less than cordial.
Antonio has referred to Melanie as his “best friend” and proclaimed that he will love her “till the day he dies.” Simply because marriage has come to an end does not mean that the divorce must be hostile or uncaring. People should still be able to express their fondness for one another.
Antonio Banderas and Nicole Kempel
In 2014, following his breakup with Melanie Griffith, Antonio began dating Nicole Kempel, a Dutch investment banker. In 2017, Antonio had a heart attack and subsequently said that Nicole was responsible for saving his life. Nicole gave him aspirin to help him survive the attack.
After going through that terrifying ordeal together, he and Nicole have become even closer to one another. Her Instagram page is loaded with adorable images of the two of them together as well as candid shots of them enjoying significant life events.
In May 2022, the couple celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary with a luxurious vacation filled with sweet surprises. They’ve shared many images of themselves at events on social media.