Antonio Banderas Tattoo Erased From Melanie Griffith's Arm Following Split

By Emma Koonse, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Melanie Griffith is moving forward with her divorce from Antonio Banderas by removing the tattoo honoring him this week.

The 56-year-old actress was married to Banderas, 53, for 18 years before filing for a divorce earlier this month. Griffith cited irreconcilable differences at the time, but the "Working Girl" star was spotted still wearing her wedding ring as recently as last week.

Nevertheless, Griffith is now removing the tattoo of her husband's name from her forearm. The actress attended the Taormina Film Festival in Italy on Monday where she wore a sleeveless frock that revealed her arms. Clearly retouched, Griffith's heart tattoo that once featured the word "Antonio" appeared to be empty, reported People.com.

Griffith first debuted the "Antonio" tattoo in 1998 at the premiere of Banderas' film "Mask of Zorro." It is believed that the actress covered her soon-to-be ex-husband's name with make-up, but that she will eventually remove the name altogether with laser treatment.

The actress is not the first person in Hollywood to have to remove tattoos following a break up. Heidi Klum recently underwent laser removal treatments that honored her ex-husband, Seal. Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp and Marc Anthony have each also had to alter tattoos of their exes following the break-up.

In addition to the tattoo concealment, Griffith also removed her wedding ring for the Italian film festival, according to New York Daily News. The changes arrive just weeks after Griffith and Banderas released a joint statement announcing their split.

"We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize out almost twenty years of marriage in a loving and friendly manner honoring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together," the actors said.

The former couple share one daughter together; 17-year-old Stella. According to an insider, Griffith and Banderas' divorce was a long time in the making.

"The split it not something new and out of the blue – they have had issues for years," a source close to Griffith told People.com. "The fights and separations got to be too much."