Antonio Banderas has shared a touching family photo from a reunion in Los Angeles with his ex-wife Melanie Griffith and daughter Stella, and his caption says it all about how the former couple chose to handle life after divorce.
The actor, 65, posted the photo to Instagram on Monday, April 27, beaming alongside Stella, 29, Griffith, 68, and Stella’s husband, Alex Gruszynski.
Banderas leaned toward 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 of the post reflects a dynamic that Banderas has spoken openly about for years.
In 2018, he said PEOPLE: “Even though 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 make a separation that is very elegant.”
He added at the time that maintaining harmony for his children was always the priority.
“Our kids enjoy it and that’s very important to both of us. Our kids are the number one priority.”
Griffith, for his part, has also spoken warmly about staying close to the men he has loved. “I love you with all my heart,” he said in 2020.
Banderas and Griffith first met at the 1989 Oscars and reconnected on the set of two a lot in 1995.
They married the following year and welcomed Stella before Griffith filed for divorce in 2014, citing irreconcilable differences.
The divorce was finalized in 2015. Banderas has remained close not only to Griffith but also to her daughter Dakota Johnson, whom she shares with ex-husband Don Johnson.
