Marla Maples Was 'in Exile' for 2 Months After Her Donald Trump Affair Was Discovered

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On Feb. 11, 1990, when Marla Maples’ affair with Donald Trump was revealed to the public, a mass media frenzy began. The business scion and his then-wife Ivana Trump had been the toast of the town, gracing every major socialite party with their presence over the years. That’s when their fairy tale ended, and Donald Trump’s scandalous life began.

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The microscope of the spotlight became too much for Maples, who was at the center of a situation described by late gossip columnist Liz Smith as “the most extraordinary thing I ever witnessed next to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. . . . Events steamrolled out of everybody’s control,” per Vanity Fair. Ivana and Donald Trump didn’t shy away from the press, but for the Georgia native, it was overwhelming.

With her face on every tabloid paper, she ran to a Southhampton, New York beach house owned by one of Donald Trump’s friends for the first week. When that safe house became overrun by “Southampton police and a bunch of photographers,” she headed to Atlantic City where Donald Trump’s bodyguards watched over her at another estate owned by her boyfriend’s rich pals. And when she needed to go out, Maples would “wear a red wig, a straw hat, and assume the redheaded Janie’s name.” She went to great lengths to date Donald Trump and when the persistent press didn’t stop — Maples went to Guatemala to volunteer for an organization.

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She and Donald Trump didn’t stay hidden for long, though. Maples went public with a much-sought-after interview with Diane Sawyer and revealed her love for a very married man. Once she had her big coming-out party, the publicity didn’t stop and she thrived in the spotlight, much to the chagrin of Ivana. Maples continued to be his best cheerleader even though the world was against them. “I think that I’m first of all trying to gain respect back, make sure that my family is O.K.,” she said of their affair. “And I want to be strong for Donald, especially when the whole world is willing to bash him.”

Before you go, click here to see celebrity exes who never buried the hatchet.

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