Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith to end their 18-year marriage

Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith have decided to bring their 18-year marriage to an end, the couple have announced in a joint statement.

In a statement issued through their lawyer, the pair said they had reached their decision by mutual consent and after careful consideration.

The split was amicable and would be carried out with respect for one another, their family, friends and the time they have spent together, they added.

According to the divorce papers filed in Los Angeles, which were published by TMZ showbiz gossip website on Friday, the separation was requested by Griffith. The documents cite irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.

The website says the 56-year-old American actress has asked Banderas for spousal support and for child support to look after the daughter the pair have in common, Stella Banderas. She is also asking for joint legal custody, even though Stella turns 18 this September.

This is Griffith’s fourth separation and the second for Banderas

The pair married in a quiet ceremony in London in 1996 after meeting on the set of Fernando Trueba’s movie Two Much.

This is Griffith’s fourth separation, after two marriages to actor Don Johnson and one to actor Steve Bauer. It is the second for Banderas, who was married to Spanish actress Ana Leza between 1987 and 1995.

Rumors first began circulating about the couple in July 2012, though Banderas roundly denied them on a visit to Spain that year.

These had been fuelled by apparent footage of Banderas kissing a younger woman in a Cancún nightclub. Griffith was subsequently photographed in the ski resort of Aspen, Colorado, without her wedding ring.

Whether true or not, the actress has publicly thanked Banderas, who is three years her junior, for the support he has given her with her fight against drug and alcohol addiction in recent years.