(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Melanie Griffith says husband Antonio Banderas is "supportive to an extent" with her substances abuse battles, but wishes he'd attend more meetings with her.
The actress has battled an addiction to prescription medication, and completed several stints in rehab. She last spent time in a treatment facility in 2009 and afterwards praised Antonio for helping her through the situation.
In turn, Antonio spoke of his pride at how his wife handled the situation. He explained the whole family got involved with her treatment by going to therapy, something Melanie has now called into questions.
"I'm sorry to say, that's in his mind. I started on pain pills when I hurt my knee skiing and just kept taking them. The kids knew; Dakota and Stella called me on it. Antonio was in London at the time. I went away to rehab for three months; it took ten days just to detox. We had two family weeks there, but we didn't follow through," she told AARP The Magazine.
"Antonio was supportive to the extent that he can be, but if you're not an alcoholic or drug addict, and you find out that your wife is a bad one, it's hard to deal with. As long as I'm OK, he's OK. I wish he would go to a meeting with me or to Al-Anon, but it's very foreign to him. Addiction runs in my family but not in his."
Melanie was quick to point out she totally understands why Antonio handled things as he did. She knows he finds it difficult and wouldn't change anything about her husband.
"Yes [it's been my journey alone]. And I don't mean that against him. I would like him to do more, but it's a difficult thing to have happen in any family, and in that way he has been totally by my side. He really is the greatest guy," she said.
Antonio and Melanie, 54, have daughter Stella together, while she has Alexander and Dakota from previous relationships.
Antonio also gave an interview to the publication in which he discussed how he copes with Melanie's issues. The 51-year-old says it's vital to speak about addiction within the family, especially when children are involved.
"We've never hidden it. We've been open about addictions, in the case of Melanie," he said.
"The pretending is the worst, because kids are so smart. They can see through all of those things, and if you don't talk openly about problems, it creates a very dark place. They carry that through the rest of their lives, to their marriages, to their kids." (C) Cover Media