14 DAY TRIAL // What you must be hearing right now is the sound of hearts breaking all over the world, because, just when you thought Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas had discovered the secret to a happy, lifelong marriage in Hollywood, she went and filed the divorce papers.
Rumors about how bad things were between these two have been making the rounds for the past couple of years, but Antonio denied them on several occasions, just as their publicist also did. In the end, all that talk about cheating and how Melanie’s addictions took a toll on the romance was chalked up to tabloid fiction.
It seems that there was some truth to the rumors after all. TMZ has obtained the documents filed by Melanie, in which she’s asking for divorce on the grounds of “irreconcilable differences.” She doesn’t list a separation date as is customary, which has further fueled reports that the marriage had actually been over for some time at the time she made it official with the papers.
“In the docs - filed by disso-queen Laura Wasser – Griffith is asking for child support and sole physical and joint legal custody, although it's pretty much moot – Stella, their only child together, turns 18 in September. Griffith is also asking for spousal support,” TMZ reports.
Insiders vouch for the same media outlet that the divorce is “amicable” but, even so, Melanie and Antonio must be bracing themselves for a lengthy procedure because they have a lot of joint property, both in the US and his home country Spain, which means that there will be a lot of meetings and discussions over how to divide it.
Melanie and Antonio have been married for 18 years and, until word of marital problems first emerged online a couple of years ago, they were considered one of the strongest marriages in Hollywood. As you probably know, in Tinseltown, a couple dating for a few years is considered “solid;” having these two married for 18 years was almost a record.
This will be Melanie’s fourth divorce and Antonio’s second.
For the time being, neither has commented on the reason for the separation but expect more details to emerge soon, both through the official and unofficial channels (those so-called “insiders” leaking stories to the tabloids and the glossies).
As noted above, in the summer of 2012, reports said that, for the first time ever, Antonio and Melanie’s always-rocky relationship was on the verge of ending for good. She checked back into rehab after relapsing into drinking and drug abuse, reportedly because of Antonio’s cheating.
In several interviews, the handsome actor admitted that addiction had marred their relationship since day 1 and that it had been particularly difficult with the relapse, but he denied that he was a “serial cheater” and said that he and Melanie were determined to make it work.
Sadly, it seems their trying has only taken them so far.