'We went in different directions': Sylvester Stallone shuts down rumors that his DOG caused split with Jennifer Flavin
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Sylvester Stallone and wife Jennifer Flavin are calling it quits after she filed for divorce at a Florida court following 25 years of marriage. Just two days ago, rumors had it that the tattoo he got of his wife's face on his right bicep was covered up with a picture of Butkus, a bull mastiff, who appeared in his hit 'Rocky' movie and died in 1981 from a heart attack. While Stallone admits that he covered Flavin's tattoo with Butkus' picture, he now denies reports of his 25-year-old marriage falling apart because of his newly adopted rottweiler, Dwight.
Speaking about his decision to cover up the arm tattoo he got of Flavin 14 years ago, the actor told TMZ that he was trying to freshen up the tattoo, but it was instead ruined and so he decided to cover it up with Butkus. Stallone, 76, also addressed reports that their breakup came after he got a Rottweiler, Dwight, and a disagreement over the canine triggered other arguments that led to the divorce filing. The actor told TMZ that, while he and Flavin did have issues over the dog's care especially since they are bicoastal and he frequently travels for work it did not ultimately lead to their split. "We did not end the relationship on such a trivial argument," he said. "We just went in different directions. I have the highest respect for Jennifer," added Stallone. "I will always love her. She's an amazing woman. She's the nicest human being I've ever met."
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Stallone and Flavin married in 1997 after first meeting in 1988 at a restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. They share three daughters: Scarlet, 20, Sistine, 24, and Sophia, 25. Flavin has filed for "dissolution of marriage and other relief" on Friday, August 19. In an exclusive statement, Flavin told PEOPLE of the breakup, "I'm sad to announce that after 25 years of marriage I have filed for divorce from my husband Sylvester Stallone. While we will no longer be married, I will always cherish the more than 30-year relationship that we shared, and I know we are both committed to our beautiful daughters." "I ask for privacy for our family as we amicably move forward," she said.
The 'Rocky' actor said, "I love my family. We are amicably and privately addressing these personal issues." Documents stated that the marriage was "irretrievably broken." Flavin requested that whatever they accumulated during their marriage wouls be "equitably distributed" between them, as per court documents obtained by Page Six. However, she also alleged that Stallone "engaged in the intentional dissipation, deplete and/or waste of marital assets," which negatively affected the marital estate. Hence, she asked that she be "compensated and made whole" by receiving more money than he does from the estate. She also wants exclusive use of their marital home in Palm Beach, Florida, as Stallone lives in their California property. "Moreover, the Husband should be enjoined from, selling, transferring, assigning, encumbering, or dissipating any assets during the pendency of these proceedings," the filing adds.