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Antonio Banderas couldn’t be happier for his daughter Stella Banderas after she tied the knot with Alex Gruszynski in Spain.
Antonio, 65, was photographed giving a toast with the press to Stella, 29, at their wedding venue at the Abadía Retuerta estate in Valladolid, Spain on Saturday, October 18. (The actor shares Stella with ex-wife Melanie Griffith. He is also stepfather to Griffith’s son Alexander Bauer whom she shares with ex-husband Steven Bauer and daughter Dakota Johnson whom she shares with ex-husband Don Johnson.)
Only two days after the big celebration, Antonio took to social media to share a sweet tribute to Stella in honor of her special day.
“The wedding of my daughter Stella has turned into a heartfelt family reunion, emotional, joyful, and full of laughter,” Antonio wrote, translated into English, via Instagram on Monday, October 20, alongside several photos of the father-daughter duo throughout the years. “Thank you to everyone who made this possible.”
Stella announced her engagement to her pre-school sweetheart, Gruszynski, in August 2024.
“I get to hang out with my favorite person on earth forever!!!!!!!! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍,” she shared via Instagram alongside some throwback photos of the couple including some when they were kids at the Wagon Wheel School.
Following the news of their proposal, Antonio gushed about his excitement for the pair.
“I feel great! She’s happy, I’m happy,” he told People in September 2024. “He’s awesome. I’ve known him since he was a little kid.”
Antonio, who was previously married to Ana Leza from 1987 to 1996, tied the knot with Griffith, 68, in May 1996 after meeting on the set of Too Much one year prior. Antonio and Griffith went on to welcome Stella in September 1996 before announcing their divorce in 2014.
“We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize our almost 20-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,” they wrote in a joint statement to Us Weekly in June 2014.
Later that year, Antonio started dating investment banker Nicole Kimpel and the couple have been going strong ever since.
Although Griffith and Antonio are no longer together, he revealed that the exes remain very close.
“I am not married with Melanie anymore, but she is my family,” Antonio said in a January 2020 interview with People. “She is probably one of my best friends, if not the best friend that I have. My family is there, Dakota, little Estella and Alexander.”
Griffith, for her part, reflected on some parts of her marriage to Antonio in an April 2023 Instagram post.
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“El Cautivo ♥️🙏🏻♥️During the 19 years I was married to Antonio one of the many extraordinary experiences he gave to me and the kids was our introduction to and subsequent love for Semana Santa. Holy Week,” she wrote at the time.“It is a very old tradition, that is so very beautiful. During Holy Week over a hundred thrones representing Christ and the Virgin Mary are carried through the streets of Malaga. Every day and night from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. It is a magical and mystical week.”
Griffith went on to say that “many people follow behind” the thrones on “their sometimes 8 hour long journey.”
“When I first saw Cautivo I was moved to tears. I think of it as a spiritual experience. He is magnificent,” she said. “He represents the Christ who has been captured. On the way to the cross. So for many many years I was privileged to be one of the 30,000 people who follow behind him on his journey through the city. I send so much love to my family and friends in Spain. Viva Cautivo! Viva Espana! Gracias y amor @antoniobanderas ⭐️.”
English (US) ·