Antonio Banderas’ Only Daughter Is ‘Insanely Beautiful’ at 26 — Heart Attack Made Him Treasure His Girl More

• Antonio Banderas' life changed for the better after he survived a heart attack.
• He's now focused on his family, his daughter Stella, and acting.
• Stella is now a beautiful and creative 26-year-old.

Antonio Banderas is a renowned Spanish actor, famous for his role in "The Mask of Zorro" and "Puss in Boots." When the actor moved to film his debut film in America, "Mambo Kings," he was already an established actor in Spain but did not speak English.

He had divorced his first wife, Ana Leza, and met his second spouse Melanie Griffith, who, aside from his career, became the reason for his permanent move.

When asked how his transition to America was, the actor put his relationship with Griffith at the center of it. He explained that his wife had two children from different fathers who resided in the US; therefore, moving to Europe would have taken a toll on the children.

Bendaras did not find it necessary to have the children flying back and forth every 15 days, so instead of disrupting their lives, he embraced his role as a stepfather, which he admitted was also a challenging transition.

When the "Puss in Boots" star met Griffith, also an actress, Alexandra, whom the actress shares with Steven Bauer, was ten, and Dakota, who arrived during her marriage with Don Johnson, was six

The actor confessed that beginning his role as a stepfather was difficult because Griffith's children had to develop a trusting relationship with him.

But soon after he and Griffith had their daughter, Stella, they warmed up to him, and in less than a year, Alexandra and Dakota realized that Banderas was there to stay.

He and Griffith smoothly blended their families, with Alexandra and Dakota calling him "papiano," a derivative from "papa," and Antonio.

By the time Dakota was 22, she had already started making movies, and Alexandra was living in New York, which made Banderas so proud to have watched them grow and find their careers.

The "The Mask of Zorro" star had initially admitted that his wife's substance abuse challenged their marriage but said working through it made them stronger.

Unfortunately, in 2015, the actors ended their two-decade marriage, with Griifth stating that their union "fell apart because I felt stuck."

However, the separation was amicable. Banderas spoke fondly of Griffith and said, "Melanie is not my wife anymore, but I think she's my best friend." Then he expressed that he would love her forever because she was family.

Even though it was not easy to let go of their two-decade marriage, Banderas admitted that they both made mistakes and have learned from them, but at the end of it, their union was filled with love, and their daughter Stella is a representation of that.

Why Did Heart Attack Change Banderas' Life?

Months after his divorce from Griffith, Banderas started dating Nicole Kimpel, and the two have been together for over ten years.

Banderas is grateful to have found love again, especially after Kimpel saved his life. In 2017, the "Spy Kids" actor experienced a heart attack and told the story of how Kimpel gave him a second chance at life on "The Late Night Show with Jimmy Kimmel."

The actor said the night before the attack, Kimpel was not feeling well and went to the pharmacy for painkillers, but she also randomly grabbed a packet of aspirin.

The next day, Banderas experienced chest pains, and Kimpel gave him an aspirin which relieved the tension and saved the actor's life.

It turned out that the chest pains were a heart attack, and because of the fast reaction, Banderas survived. As scary as the experience might have been, the actor said the health scare was the best thing to happen to him.

Banderas realized that he feared dying more than making the best of his time on earth. "Why am I worried about that If I'm going to die?" the actor wondered.

After seeing his life flash before his eyes, he realized that he had to realign his priorities which were his daughter Stella, his family, and his dedication to acting.

To put his words into action, Banderas bought a theatre in Spain to create and be a part of stories that mattered to him. "It made me appreciate life in a completely different way and much more powerful way," the actor said about his heart attack.

How Does Banderas' Only Daughter Look at 26?

Banderas' daughter is a grown 26-year-old woman who, according to her father, has taken after her parents' creativity.

The actor gushed over how much of a good writer Stella was and loved being behind the camera. But despite coming from a family with a prestigious Hollywood status, Stella is down to earth.

Banderas said if he had a second life, he would love to be as explorative as his daughter, but then he realized, "Maybe my daughter is my second life."

Aside from writing, Stella loves fashion and being outdoors, but family is very important to her, just like her parents.

Stella showed off her modeling skills on Instagram, posing for the luxury brand Dior. The comments were filled with praises of her beauty, describing her as "insanely beautiful." Even her mother wrote, "My gorgeous angel girl!"

Although Griffith and Banderas are not together, they raised their children to succeed in their individual career paths and maintained a healthy co-parenting relationship.

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