Antonio Banderas suffered heart attack in January, but 'it wasn't serious'

MADRID — Antonio Banderas says he has recovered from a heart attack he had two months ago.

The 56-year-old actor told Spanish journalists that "I suffered a heart attack on Jan. 26, but it wasn't serious and hasn't caused any damage." At the time, he brushed it off as a heart "episode" and said he was released after being hospitalized briefly for observation.

Banderas now reveals he underwent a procedure to introduce three stents in his arteries, adding that "it hasn't been as dramatic as some have written."

His visit to a Swiss clinic had led to speculation about the health of the star known for his roles in The Mask of Zorro, Desperado, Philadelphia and the animated Puss in Boots.

In January, the actor told The Sun that he was working out at his home in Surrey, England, when he experienced "agonizing" chest pains and was rushed to a nearby hospital by ambulance.

Banderas, sporting a graying beard and accompanied by his Dutch girlfriend, Nicole Kempel, an investment banker, spoke Saturday at a film festival in his hometown of Malaga in southern Spain, where he received a lifetime achievement award.

His upcoming movies include multigenerational love story Life Itself, from This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman, which co-stars Annette Bening, Samuel L. Jackson and Oscar Isaac.

The actor has been married twice, most recently to Melanie Griffith, with whom he has a daughter, Stella; the Hollywood couple broke up in 2015.

Contributing: The Associated Press, Maria Puente, Kim Willis