Just a coincidence? Sylvester Stallone certainly thinks so, at least that's the answer he's giving to the media who want to know if his wife filing for divorce has anything to do with disagreements over his new Rottweiler dog, Dwight.
"We did not end the relationship on such a trivial argument," he said when questioned over the breakdown of his 25 year marriage to model Jennifer Flavin with whom he shares three daughters.
Stallone showed off his new Rottweiler puppy on social media recently, but reports suggest that frequent disagreements over his care led Flavin to file a petition for the dissolution of their marriage last Friday.
The Rocky actor says that while he and his soon-to-be ex-wife did find themselves at odds over how Dwight would be looked after during his regular stints away from home, he insists it had nothing to do with their decision to divorce.
"We just went in different directions. I have the highest respect for Jennifer," the actor said. "I will always love her. She's an amazing woman. She's the nicest human being I've ever met."
News of their separation broke just days after it was revealed that Stallone had covered up the tattoo he had of his wife with an image of his late dog, Butkus, although a rep for the actor said that this was due to the tattoo of Flavin being unfixable.
Flavin, for her part, says that while the couples' divorce has brought sadness to them both, the pair intend to move forward amicably for the sake of both themselves and their children.
"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," she said in a statement to People magazine.