Antonio Banderas meets up with ‘lifelong friend’, ex Melanie Griffith

Antonio Banderas has shared a heartwarming family photo from a Los Angeles reunion with ex-wife Melanie Griffith and their daughter Stella, and his caption said everything about how the former couple have chosen to handle life after divorce.

The actor, 65, posted the snap on Instagram on Monday, 27 April, showing himself beaming alongside Stella, 29, Griffith, 68, and Stella’s husband Alex Gruszynski. 

Banderas leaned into his daughter as she threw her head back laughing, while Griffith and Stella held hands and Gruszynski rested his head on Griffith’s shoulder. 

“A lovely and fun moment yesterday in Los Angeles with my son-in-law Alex, my daughter Stella, and my ex-wife and lifelong friend, Melanie,” Banderas wrote in his caption.

The warmth in the post reflects a dynamic Banderas has spoken about openly for years. 

In 2018, he told PEOPLE: “Even if we are divorced, she is my family and I will love her until the day I die. We have been in contact all these years and we managed to do a separation that is very elegant.” 

He added at the time that keeping things harmonious for their children was always the priority. 

“Our kids are enjoying that and that is very important for both of us. Our kids are priority No. 1.”

Griffith, for her part, has also spoken warmly about staying close with the men she has loved. “I love them with all my heart,” she said in 2020.

Banderas and Griffith first encountered each other at the 1989 Oscars and reconnected on the set of Two Much in 1995.

They married the following year and welcomed Stella before Griffith filed for divorce in 2014, citing irreconcilable differences. 

The divorce was finalised in 2015. Banderas has remained close not only with Griffith but also with her daughter Dakota Johnson, whom she shares with ex-husband Don Johnson.