Antonio Banderas Says He'll Love Ex-Wife Melanie Griffith 'Until the Day I Die' (Exclusive)

The two divorced in 2015 after nearly 20 years of marriage

Antonio Banderas still has a lot of love for his ex-wife, Melanie Griffith.

ET caught up with the 58-year-old actor at Fox and FX's Emmys after-party, and he only had lovely things to say about his former wife of nearly 20 years. Banderas was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role in Genius at the 70th Emmy Awards, but lost out to The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story star Darren Criss.

"Melanie is my dear friend and she just texted me. She was really sorry that I didn't win. So we're going to see each other this week because she's still my family and my kids," Banderas said of the 61-year-old actress, who he divorced in 2015.

Earlier this year, Griffith revealed that she had skin cancer removed from her nose. “It’s a scary thing when you’re an actress and you depend on your face for work,” she told InStyle of the removal. “But I realize I have to put a Band-Aid on it, and it’s fine. I just look like a dork.”

When ET asked Banderas about his ex's health scare, he declared, "I will love that woman until the day I die."

Griffith and Banderas -- who are parents to 21-year-old daughter, Stella Banderas -- might be the most amicable exes in Hollywood. Prior to her ex-husband gushing over her, the Working Girl star looked back fondly at their marriage during her interview with InStyle.

“[Starting a family with Banderas] was more exciting than playing a part in a story,” she said. “You have to live your life and not just play somebody else all the time. And how can you play somebody else if you don’t live your own life?”

Banderas has found love again with girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, who joined him at the Emmys. Though Banderas was tight-lipped about a possible forthcoming proposal to Kempel, he did tell ET that if it were to happen, it would definitely be in private -- unlike Emmy winner Glenn Weiss, who proposed to Jan Svendsen on-stage during his acceptance speech.

David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

"The reaction was enormous. It was enormous. It was beautiful. It was probably the moment of the night. It didn't have anything to do with the awards. It didn't have anything to do with any of the TV shows. It had to do with life. And it was fun," Banderas said of Weiss' proposal. "...When that happened you just think, 'That was a good idea.'"

As for whether he and Kimpel will ever get engaged, he admitted, "I don't know yet."

Banderas added, "We are pretty much in love... I don't want to go into details right now, but we have been four years together. It's great."

The live proposal was just one of the most memorable moments from the Emmys! Watch the video below for more from the annual awards show:

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