Melanie Griffith Removes Antonio Banderas’ Name From Tattoo

Looks like Melanie Griffith is moving on from her soon-to-be ex-husband Antonio Banderas. What a difference a week makes. The day before news hit that the actress filed for divorce, she was spotted on the red carpet still wearing her wedding ring. Now that the news of their impending divorce is public, Griffith is taking tentative steps to remove herself from the marriage.

Her famous ink, a heart shaped tattoo with Banderas’ name has been erased leaving a mark where the declarative tattoo once was. According to Us Weekly, Griffith made the silent decision to remove her former lover’s name on June 17, but at that point the rest of the tattoo was still in tact. When she stepped out for her second public appearance since the news hit, her whole tattoo was removed.

It was Melanie Griffith’s appearance on June 19 that had heads turning. The Milk Money actress posed on the red carpet at a cocktail party for Italy’s Taormina Film Festival when she boldly revealed the whole tattoo had been erased. The actress bared her upper arm where the tattoo had once been, and wrapped the rest of her arm with a black shawl.

As we previously reported, the couple decided to split after eighteen years of marriage. When news hit of their split, the couple made a joint statement:

“We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize our almost twenty year marriage in a loving and friendly manner honoring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together.”

According to Us Weekly their troubled marriage was going to collapse no matter what. A source told the magazine that they have been experiencing problems for some time.

“There was no cheating on either side. They had fallen out of love awhile ago. Their daughter Stella is about to be 18 in September and they wanted to wait until [the] kids were grown and out of the house before they split up, but knew they would awhile ago. They stayed together for the sake of the kids.”

The two met on the set of the film Two Much back in 1995 and wed in 1996 after they split from their respective partners. Four months later Griffith gave birth to their daughter Stella. In addition to Griffith’s daughter Stella she also has a daughter, actress Dakota Johnson with Don Johnson. She also has a son with Steven Bauer named Alexander.

[Image via Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com]