Who Is Antonio Banderas’ Girlfriend? All About Nicole Kimpel

Antonio Banderas and Nicole Kimpel started dating after he and Melanie Griffith got divorced

Antonio Banderas first met Nicole Kimpel at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival — when he was still married to Melanie Griffith.

The actor and Kimpel began dating shortly after finalizing his divorce, and they have been together ever since.

Kimpel, who is a model, business owner and financial expert, has taken good care of the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny star — she nursed him back to health when he contracted COVID-19 in 2020, and she saved his life when he suffered a heart attack in 2017.

Fortunately, the duo have also had plenty of more lighthearted, fun times together. Banderas and Kimpel enjoy attending award shows, decorating for Christmas, going on beach walks and sharing glimpses of their relationship on social media.

Related: Antonio Banderas and Girlfriend Nicole Kimpel Walk the Golden Globes Red Carpet

The actor and the entrepreneur often write romantic messages to each other on Instagram. For Banderas’ 60th birthday, Kimpel posted a photo of the two of them embracing.

“Happy Birthday my movie star. I love you so much,” she wrote at the time. “Everyday together is special. I am so happy to celebrate this special one today with you.”

So, who is Nicole Kimpel? Read on to learn all about the businesswoman and her relationship with Antonio Banderas.

She grew up in Germany and Switzerland

Kimpel was born in Stuttgart, Germany, per her Baniki Blog website. She attended preschool there, before moving to Düsseldorf, Germany, and then Geneva, Switzerland, after that. She then relocated to the U.S. after completing high school.

They met at the Cannes Film Festival

Banderas and Kimpel met at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. The Puss in Boots star later explained to HOLA! magazine that his girlfriend had nothing to do with his split from Griffith.

“Nicole was not the motive of my divorce,” he said, per The Arizona Republic. “I met her at the Cannes Festival last year but we both knew where we were. I was still a married man, although things were already heading the way they have now ended up.”

He added, “Nicole told me, ‘You've got to solve your problems first, then we'll see.’ So there’s no direct connection to my breakup with another woman, it's not like that.”

Banderas noted that they only began dating after he signed his divorce papers.

She’s a model, an entrepreneur and an investment management expert

Kimpel is a model, and she shares images from photoshoots and behind-the-scenes content with her thousands of Instagram followers. In March 2022, she posted a photo of herself posing in a gorgeous floor-length gown with ruffles and multiple shades of pink and red.

“It was a pleasure doing this editorial for @hola Haute Couture in paris with amazing designers,” she wrote.

In addition to her work as a model and social media personality, Kimpel is an entrepreneur. She and her twin sister, Barbara Kimpel, have a clothing and accessory brand, a blog and a TV company, Success Network.

She has experience in investment advising and real estate, too. According to the Success Network website, Kimpel previously worked at the American investment management company, Merill Lynch, and Lombard Odier, a major private bank in Switzerland.

Afterward, she established herself as “an independent investment advisor and a high-level intermediary for large transactions” and has also served as a luxury real estate agent.

She loves collaborating with her twin sister

Kimpel and her twin sister went into business together to found the clothing and accessory brand, Baniki. The collection includes sports hoodies, caps, sunglasses, masks, handbags, “banikimonos” and more. (Banderas is featured on their Instagram profile several times, modeling the masks and caps.) The account, which has about 2,500 followers, was last active in November 2021.

On their joint Instagram account, the twins have shared selfies, professional images from fashion photoshoots, photos of themselves at industry events and more.

“We will show you our day to day and all our secrets!” they teased in the caption of their first post. The sisters also announced their blog, where they write about food, fitness, travel, work and personal stories.

Outside of fashion and blogging, Kimpel and her sister worked on a TV network called The Success Channel.

Per the company’s website, the network broadcasts “the successful lifestyle of ‘Work hard, Play hard’ people, focusing on business entrepreneurs in product development, sales and marketing, but also including sports figures and people in the arts.”

She saved Antonio’s life

Banderas credits Kimpel with saving his life. During a 2019 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the actor told host Jimmy Kimmel about the time he had a heart attack and his partner stepped in to help.

“The night before I had this event, my girlfriend, she had a headache and we didn't have anything in the house,” he remembered. “So she went out to buy something, a pain killer or whatever.”

Related: All About Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith's Daughter Stella Banderas

“The next morning, when I started having the symptoms and I clearly knew what was going on, she put one of those aspirins under my tongue and that saved my life,” Banderas shared. “So I had a second chance, and some stuff changed in my life, since then.”

They show each other off on social media

Banderas and Kimpel are the stars of each other’s Instagram accounts. They frequently post couple selfies, red carpet photos and birthday wishes.

On July 29, 2023, Banderas shared a playful video of himself and Kimpel, writing in Spanish, “Aquí hay una chica que acaba de dar una nueva vuelta alrededor del sol (Here’s to a girl who just took another lap around the sun.)” He added, “Felicidades (Cheers), my love!”

Kimpel posted a funny close-up photo of Banderas and a Puss in Boots-themed cappuccino in March 2023.

She wrote in her caption, “In the Polo Lounge they served me this interesting cappuccino. Puss is everywhere.”

They enjoy chill date nights

At the 2018 Fox Emmy afterparty, Banderas told Us Weekly that when he and Kimpel aren’t at award shows or industry parties, they like to do typical couple activities.

“It’s exactly the opposite of what we have done today,” he said. “Basically it’s reading books, doing exercise, we’re [into visiting] family these days.”

Nicole is Antonio’s biggest fan

Throughout their relationship, the businesswoman has attended many industry events with Banderas to show her support. In 2020, she held his hand as they walked the Golden Globes red carpet together. The couple also wowed on the carpet at the 2023 Academy Awards.

Related: Antonio Banderas Says Ex-Wife Melanie Griffith Is Still His Best Friend: 'I'll Always Love Her'

Kimpel expresses her pride on social media, too.

“Congratulations my love for winning the award for best director,” she captioned a photo of the couple in October 2022, adding clapping and kissing emojis.

She also celebrated Banderas on Instagram in 2020, writing next to a photo of them, “Palm Spring international Film Festival. Congratulations my love for getting the award of best international star.”

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