Sylvester Stallone Regrets Not Marrying Wife Jennifer Flavin Sooner
The action star expressed regret over delaying his marriage to Jennifer Flavin, citing his own insecurities and learning challenges in relationships.
Sylvester Stallone has revealed that his biggest regret in his more than 29-year marriage to Jennifer Flavin is that they did not tie the knot eight years earlier than they did.
Speaking at 92NY in New York on Monday, the 80-year-old actor told CBS's Tracy Smith that he was "such an idiot, procrastinating" when it came to his relationship with Flavin. He added, "I’m still actually learning about relationships that bad. So I regret that. And I’m sorry."
Stallone and Flavin, now 58, first met in 1988. They dated for six years before a brief separation in 1994, during which Stallone admitted to an affair with model Janice Dickinson. He sent Flavin a six-page handwritten letter detailing the affair, which he later described as cowardly.
Stallone initially believed Dickinson was pregnant with his child, but DNA tests proved otherwise. He then reconciled with Flavin, and they married in May 1997.
When asked by Smith if his childhood experiences might have influenced his procrastination in relationships, Stallone acknowledged that "There is that." He reflected, "So a lot of people that have these issues, it’s not your fault. You know, it’s just the way you evolve it."
He further explained the lasting impact of childhood experiences, stating, "I just look at a child like an infant, like a pile of wet clay. And if you drop it two times, you put permanent dents. They don’t come out. So you have to go through life with these problems and they don’t go away."
Despite his past difficulties, Stallone shared that being with Flavin has taught him how to love, calling it "a really wonderful habit" that has finally "come to fruition" after approximately 60 years.
Stallone and Flavin have three daughters: Sophia, 30, Sistine, 28, and Scarlet, 24. Stallone also has two sons, Seargeoh, 47, and the late Sage, who died at age 36 in 2012, from his first marriage to Sasha Czack.
Stallone was previously married to Brigitte Nielsen from 1985 to 1987. In 2022, Stallone and Flavin briefly faced divorce proceedings before reconciling a month later. To celebrate their anniversary in May, Stallone posted a tribute to Flavin on Instagram, calling her the meaning of his life, to which she responded, "I love you, you are my everything!"
