14 DAY TRIAL // Antonio Banderas didn't waste any time crying over his failed marriage to actress Melanie Griffith. The actor is now said to be dating a Dutch investment consultant by the name of Nicole Kempel. Meanwhile, Melanie is making big efforts to get her life back together after the split.
The news that Antonio has already found himself a new woman friend comes from Spanish publication Hola!, which claims that Banderas and his Dutch blond were spotted holidaying together on the French island of Saint Tropez as early as last month, hinting that the two have had a relationship longer than that.
A source has confirmed that although Banderas has found it easy to get over his marriage, the relationship with his young blond was not the cause of the divorce. “Nicole has in no way fuelled or been the cause of the split between the actor and Melanie Griffith.” The source insists that Nicole and Antonio met only after he had gotten the divorce.
The media has been following this surprising split that came on this summer, but so far it has been focusing mostly on Melanie, who seems to have been hit a little harder by the divorce. Despite reports that she was in much pain, she has told in a recent interview that she's very happy to be “completely free.”
“Over the last years, I've devoted myself to my family, and that was it. But now, I'm completely free. So I'm determinate to do only what I want from now on, and none is going to stop me,” Melanie boasted.
The actress is now focusing on her career but not only that, “I'm going to do a lot of things. I'm going to do ‘Pippin’ on Broadway in January. It's not about my career now. It's just about finding great work and having a good time. My kids are almost grown. I'm getting divorced. I'm just happy. I'm really joyful. Life is good.”
She was seen out in public with her famous “Antonio” heart tattoo covered in makeup and then in a bandaid, hinting that there was no possibility of reconciliation between the two. There is still no evidence of what really caused this sudden split between the two, but one of the reasons given by insiders has been Antonio's womanizing streak.
The fact that he's found himself a hot new girlfriend so soon after the divorce seems to support that theory.