Robert De Niro, famed actor and two-time oscar winner, met his current wife, Grace Hightower, over two decades ago - but now it's been reported that their relationship is coming to an end.
A source close to the couple reportedly confirmed to Page Six that they are no longer living together and are expected to announce their breakup publicly sometime in the next two weeks. “De Niro and Grace are breaking up," one source said. "He’s been at a few things since the very end of the summer without her - and rumor has it they are done.” Another concurred, adding that “they are not living together at this time.”
“Sometimes things don’t work out the way you hope or want them to,” another source told People Magazine .
The actor met Hightower in 1987, when she was working at the famed Mr. Chow in London. “It was an ease-in, it wasn’t a whirlwind," Hightower said of their relationship in a profile for the New York Times in 2013. Hightower has worked in music, and acting, while most of her work is in philanthropy.
She and De Niro married in 1997, at which point they had known one another for nearly a decade. The couple have two children together: their son Elliot, who was born in 1998, and their daughter Helen Grace, who was born in 2011. They actually have already had a split before, just two years into their marriage.
In 1999, De Niro filed for divorce, during which time they reportedly debated over the custody arrangements with their son. However, things were later smoothed over, and the divorce was never finalised. In 2004, they chose to renew their wedding vows, in a ceremony that included Martin Scorsese, Ben Stiller and Meryl Streep.
Hightower wasn't De Niro's first wife, as he married Diahnne Abbott, who had acted alongside him in The King of Comedy, in 1976. After twelve years of marriage, the pair divorced in 1988. During their time together they had a son, Raphael, and De Niro also adopted Abbott's daughter, Drena, from a previous relationship.
In addition to the aforementioned children, De Niro has twin sons Aaron Kendrick and Julian Henry De Niro from a former relationship with former model Toukie Smith, who were both conceived by in vitro fertilization and delivered by a surrogate mother in 1995. He also has four grandchildren: one from his daughter Drena, who has one child, and three from his son Raphael.
De Niro has been acting for over fifty years by this point, and while his film appearances have become increasingly rare - he's still performing to this day.
He didn't star in any films during 2017 or 2018, but is rumoured to star in 2019's solo Joker movie alongside Joaquin Phoenix. In addition to this, he will be starring in The War with Grandpa, and Martin Scorsese's latest film The Irishman - co-starring with Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel and Ray Romano.
