Sylvester Stallone insists divorce from wife of 25 years Jennifer Flavin wasn’t over dog

Sylvester Stallone insists divorce from wife of 25 years Jennifer Flavin wasn’t over dog

Sylvester Stallone has spoken out after his wife Jennifer Flavin filed for divorce after 25 years.

The Rocky star was recently spotted getting his tattoo of his wife covered up with one of his former pet Butkus, although the actor insisted that was due to his tattoo of Jennifer getting botched.

Following the news that the pair are ending their marriage, reports emerged that it was down to disagreements over a new pet, with Sly, 76, wanting to get a Rottweiler for protection when Jennifer, 54, did not.

Sylvester has denied the reports, saying in a statement to TMZ: ‘We just went in different directions.’

He added: ‘I have the highest respect for Jennifer. I will always love her. She’s an amazing woman. She’s the nicest human being I’ve ever met.’

Sylvester was previously seen covering up a tattoo of Jennifer on his right bicep with an inking of his dog Butkus, who starred in the first two Rocky films.

In his statement, the actor also reiterated his representative’s comment that he had other reasons for getting his tattoo covered up, saying he was actually getting the Jennifer inking refreshed when it went wrong and had to be covered.

A rep for the star said this week: ‘Mr. Stallone intended to refresh the tattoo image of his wife Jennifer however the results were unsatisfactory and, unfortunately, unfixable.

‘As a result, he had to cover the original image with a tattoo of his dog from Rocky, Butkus.

‘Mr. Stallone loves his family. The Stallones are presently filming a reality show together which will debut on Paramount+.’

According to reports, Jennifer submitted paperwork on Friday in Florida, requesting to end their marriage.

A rep shared a message with TMZ from the Expendables actor, who said: ‘I love my family. We are amicably and privately addressing these personal issues.’

The publication reports that Jennifer asked to restore her maiden name of Flavin, and requested to keep their home in Palm Beach while proceedings are ongoing.

Sylvester and Jennifer tied the knot in 1997, and recently celebrated their 25-year anniversary on social media.

‘Happy 25th anniversary to my amazing wife,’ the actor said at the time.