Actress Melanie Griffith appeared to be making a statement last month when she used makeup to cover the name “Antonio” in her arm tattoo, but the 56-year-old has apparently decided to undergo legit tattoo removal to forever erase the painful reminder of her failed marriage. In mid-June, Melanie made her first public appearance since her split with Antonio Banderas at the Baume & Mercier Promesse Taromina Award dinner in Italy, and the actress had very deliberately covered just her ex’s name, leaving the rest of the black and white heart tattoo intact. On July 8, however, she was spotted leaving a skin specialist in West Hollywood with a sizable bandage covering her “Antonio” arm tat.
Maybe it’s just us, but it seemed like a pretty ghetto (and hurtful) move for Melanie to don a sleeveless dress showing off her arm tattoo, and then cover up just Antonio’s name for an event like Italy’s Baume & Mercier Promesse Taromina Award dinner. Why not cover up the entire tattoo, wear a dress with sleeves, or, here’s an idea – just live with it until you can hit up the tattoo removal clinic? It seemed more likely that the actress was trying to send a message to Antonio himself by erasing his name from the tattoo, despite the fact that her and Antonio reportedly split “in a friendly and loving manner,” according to friends.
The night before she filed for divorce from her husband of 18 years, Melanie was photographed out on the town with gal pal Eva Longoria, all smiles and wearing her wedding ring, which is why the news of the breakup the following day shocked even Melanie’s closest friends. “They’ve been down this road before but I never thought it would actually happen,” said a friend of the actress. “There’s so much love there.” Well, if her decision to remove her lovey-dovey relationship tattoo so quickly after filing for divorce is any clue, Melanie is apparently ready for a fresh start, sans-Antonio!
