In A Rare Interview Nicole Kimpel On Life With Spanish Superstar Antonio Banderas

She’s shared the life of Hollywood star Antonio Banderas for the past four years, but little is known about investment adviser Nicole Kimpel – and that’s how she likes it.

- Marta Gordillo

“I’m not the artiste. That’s Antonio,” she says, posing barefoot in a flowing chiffon gown at La Gaviota, the house he owns in Marbella. “I don’t need to be in the spotlight. Fame is part of my life because my partner is famous. But I think I’ve learnt to deal with it naturally, without it affecting me.”

Intelligent as well as beautiful, Nicole speaks five languages, including excellent Spanish – though she and Antonio converse in English. She worked in private banks across the world before she started dating the Zorro star in 2014, shortly after he split up with wife Melanie Griffith.

A LIFE OF TRAVELLING

Born to a German father and a Dutch mother, her dad’s work as an engineer in Europe and the US meant the family “moved constantly”.

Travelling “gives you a lot of flexibility, opens your mind and enriches your life”, says Nicole. It has also helped her adapt to the challenges of life with the 57-year-old Spanish heart-throb, almost 20 years her senior.

“It’s a very different world from mine,” she says. “But I’m a very stable person, with my feet on the ground. I’ve learnt to live with it.

“We’re really happy together and I don’t see him as a film star. To me, he’s the man in my life. He has so many great qualities and talents without even taking into account his professional success.”