Antonio Banderas calls heart attack 'best thing that happened to me'

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, 66, described his 2017 heart attack as the best thing that ever happened to him, fundamentally changing his outlook on life and teaching him to savor the moment.

Banderas experienced sudden chest pains at his home in Surrey, England. His girlfriend, Nicole Kimpel, administered aspirin before paramedics transported him to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to place three stents in his coronary arteries.

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The heart attack is the best thing that has happened to me.

"The heart attack is the best thing that has happened to me," Banderas recently told media outlets in the United States. He explained that the experience opened his eyes to how much time people waste on insignificant matters. Consequently, he quit smoking and relocated to his hometown, Malaga, Spain. There, he manages the Teatro del Soho CaixaBank, produces plays and musicals, and has invested in several restaurants.

Banderas is also grateful for his family, including his daughter Stella, whom he shares with ex-wife Melanie Griffith. He also considers Griffith's children, Dakota Johnson and Alexander Bauer, as his own. While he lived in Los Angeles for years, Banderas always knew Malaga was his true home. "People live as if they will never die and collect things. I don't want to collect anything. The only thing that matters to me now is the experience of living."

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People live as if they will never die and collect things. I don't want to collect anything. The only thing that matters to me now is the experience of living.