Robert De Niro Feels “Pure Joy” For Daughter Gia On Her First Birthday

80-year-old Robert De Niro became a father again when his girlfriend Tiffany Chen gave birth to their daughter Gia last spring. Recently baby Gia celebrated her first birthday, an occasion that has the Taxi actor overwhelmed with joy.

Across different relationships, De Niro is the father of seven children. He shares Drena, 56, and Raphael, 47, with his first wife Diahnne Abbott. He and his ex-girlfriend Toukie Smith share twins Julian and Aaron, 28. He and his second wife, Grace Hightower, share Elliot, 25, and Helen, 12.

Robert De Niro expresses his joy as his new daughter Gia celebrates her first birthday

De Niro and Chen welcomed baby Gia in April 2023, and last month the family celebrated her first birthday with great enthusiasm. De Niro spoke with Entertainment Tonight about the milestone celebration.

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“Yes, she did. She had a little cake, it was very nice, sweet,” recounted De Niro. “Well, she’s pure joy, there’s nothing about her, there’s no judgement, there’s no anything, she just is what she is and it’s just pure joy for god sakes.”

The piece that completed the puzzle

Despite decades separating Gia from most of her siblings, De Niro has happily reported that his other children have had as much fussing over the toddler as he and Chen have.

In fact, he teased, “The kids all get a big kick out of her. The grandkids even. She’s their aunt— [and] they’re about to be teenagers!”

De Niro’s grandchildren are through Raphael, who has three kids of his own. Sadly, Drena’s only son, Leandro, died at the age of 19 last summer.

Gia has also provided a sense of peace and calm that’s been much needed for the family. De Niro explained, “She’s such an adorable baby. So sweet. [When I] look at her, everything else goes away. So it’s a great joy and relief to just be with her in the moment.” Even everything the actor has been “consumed with or worried about” disappears when he spends time with his daughter. In a chat for AARP The Magazine‘s February/March 2024 issue, De Niro grew visibly teary-eyed talking about the peace he feels with Gia and the hope he has for her future.

De Niro met Chen while working on the 2015 film The Intern. In the film, Chen, an accomplished martial artist, plays the Tai Chi instructor who helps his character. His character couldn’t have learned better; at just 26, Chen was inducted into the martial arts magazine’s Hall of Fame. The world really will be Gia’s oyster!

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