Hollywood icon Robert De Niro recently opened up about his fatherhood experience following the birth of his seventh child last year. The Oscar-winning actor, along with his girlfriend Tiffany Chen, celebrated the arrival of their daughter in April, marking a poignant milestone in their lives.
De Niro met Chen during the production of the 2015 movie The Intern, where he starred as Ben Whittaker, a retired executive who enjoys practicing Tai Chi. During the movie’s filming, Chen, a skilled martial artist instructor, was hired to teach the 80-year-old, and they started a friendship that later blossomed into love.
Robert De Niro snuggles up with newborn daughter Gia in adorable photo
Chen shared that despite working and being friends with De Niro on the movie set, they kept their relationship professional. “When we were working, it was just work,” Chen said in a discussion with Gayle King on CBS Mornings. “And then a couple of years later, we got back in touch, and I said, ‘Oh, I guess we get along, and I guess we really get along.’”
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Their relationship blossomed, leading to sightings of the couple vacationing in the serene landscapes of the south of France in 2021. Paparazzi photos captured the lovers holding hands and exchanging affectionate kisses aboard a friend’s yacht.
In May 2023, De Niro announced the arrival of his seventh child, after which his About My Father co-star, Kim Cattrall, corroborated the news by confirming Chen as the mother. The 80-year-old later gave more details by disclosing that his daughter, Gia Virginia Chen De Niro, was born in April.
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Since welcoming his daughter into the world, Robert De Niro has embraced every opportunity to spend precious moments with her, and he doesn’t hesitate to post such moments on social media for his fans, who always have kind words for baby Gia but never minced words to show their disapproval for the action of the father-of-seven. “This is wrong on so many levels,” a fan wrote. “Not fair for child, they will never spend time together,” another person stated. “Selfish old man.”
“What a selfish thing to do, old fool,” someone else commented while a user wrote, “That’s insane to make a baby that old, I feel bad for the lil one who won’t really know his dad bc he will be passed by the time he’s he starts school..unless he lives to 100 or better but still what kind of relationship would they have.”
“Just because you can (keep producing kids) doesn’t mean you should. Lucky kid, hey?” read another comment while another fan piqued, “Always loved Deniro, but come on, Robert. Why would you have a kid at 80 just when he needs a father you won’t be around.”
Despite the barrage of criticisms from his fans, De Niro remains hopeful of spending time with his daughter. In a recent interview featured in AARP‘s February/March cover story, the acclaimed actor delved into his thoughts on aging and fatherhood with intricate detail. He candidly expressed a deep sense of anticipation and joy regarding his role as a parent despite not having much time left to spend with baby Gia due to his age.
Which 80-year-old actor has a child?
“I’m an 80-year-old dad, and it’s great; everything that I’m consumed with or worried about just goes away when I look at her. It’s wondrous, she has a very sweet kind of way of looking at you and just taking you in,” he admitted to the news outlet. “I don’t know where it’s gonna go with her later when she gets older, But she’s thinking, and she’s observing every single watching. It’s really interesting.”
Also, in an interview with People, De Niro expressed his overwhelming joy and affection for his daughter while sharing a lighthearted chuckle about the unique dynamics that have emerged within his family since the arrival of his seventh child. “She’s such an adorable baby. So sweet,” he admitted. “The kids all get a big kick out of her. The grandkids even. She’s their aunt — [and] they’re about to be teenagers!”
Aside from his current romantic relationship with Chen, the 80-year-old has had other failed relationships and marriages, where he welcomed his other six children. De Niro met his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, in 1975 on the set of Taxi Driver, where they began a relationship and married in 1976. They welcomed a son named Raphael Eugene, and he also adopted Abbott’s daughter, Drena. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1988, during which De Niro allegedly had a covert affair with musician Helena Springs.
Springs and De Niro’s relationship came to public knowledge when Springs sued the actor for child support. She claimed that their encounter at a 1979 party, followed by a three-year romantic involvement, led to the birth of their daughter, Nina, in 1982. Despite the 80-year-old’s initial belief that he was Nina’s father, DNA testing disproved this. Springs further argued that because De Niro had treated the child as his own, he was liable to pay child support. However, the presiding judge ultimately ruled against her, stating that the Tribeca Film Festival co-founder had no legal obligation to provide any support for the child.
Following his first divorce, the actor dated Toukie Smith, and they had two sons, Julian Henry and Aaron Kendrick, born in October 1995. He also had a private relationship with supermodel Naomi Campbell in the 1990s. De Niro decided to try marriage again after meeting his second wife, Grace Hightower, in 1987 while still married to Abbott, and they married in June 1997. The duo had a son named Elliot in March 1998, and in 2011, they welcomed their second child, Helen Grace, through surrogacy. The couple initiated their divorce in 2016; however, their separation wasn’t finalized until 2018.
Given the number of children De Niro has fathered, the actor seems to love a big family. Also, his children are fulfilling that dream, as he is currently a proud grandad of four from two of his children—Drena and Raphael.