Robert De Niro's Dating History: From Grace Hightower to Tiffany Chen

After splitting from his wife Grace Hightower in 2018, Robert De Niro was linked to martial arts instructor Tiffany Chen, with whom he recently welcomed a baby

Robert De Niro prefers to keep his personal life private, but throughout his career, he’s had quite a few notable relationships.

The legendary actor first found love early in his career when he met Diahnne Abbott on the set of Taxi Driver. The pair’s romance blossomed off-screen, and they got married the same year the film was released. Over the next decade, De Niro adopted Abbott’s daughter from her previous relationship, and then the couple went on to welcome a son. But by 1988, their relationship was on the rocks— and De Niro had become a massive star.

Following his split from Abbott, De Niro went on to privately date several other women, including Naomi Campbell and Toukie Smith, with whom he welcomed two children. De Niro ultimately decided to settle down again in 1997 when he married Grace Hightower, a woman he had known for a decade.

Related: Robert De Niro's 7 Children: Everything to Know

Although their marriage had its ups and downs, including plans to divorce just two years after their wedding, they ultimately stuck together for over 20 years. During that time, De Niro and Hightower became parents to a son named Elliot and a daughter named Helen. In 2018, however, they made the “difficult” decision to divorce, moving forward as co-parents.

In the years following his divorce, De Niro has been linked to martial arts instructor Tiffany Chen, whom he originally met on the set of a movie. While they have been incredibly private about their relationship, De Niro recently shared that they had welcomed a baby, a daughter named Gia Virginia Chen De Niro.

Here’s a look back at Robert De Niro’s dating history.

Diahnne Abbott

De Niro first crossed paths with Diahnne Abbott in 1975 while they were working on Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. The film marked Abbott’s first credited role, where she played a movie box office clerk who interacted with De Niro’s character. The pair began a relationship off-screen, and in 1976, they tied the knot.

Later that year, De Niro and Abbott welcomed their first child, a son named Raphael Eugene. At the time, De Niro also adopted Abbott’s daughter, Drena, whom she had welcomed during a previous relationship.

Abbott went on to appear in several films alongside De Niro, including New York, New York and The King of Comedy. Raphael later told TheRealDeal that the family moved from Los Angeles to New York in 1986, which was a complete “culture shock” for him. De Niro and Abbott remained married for over a decade but ultimately divorced in 1988.

Helena Springs

Amid De Niro’s marriage to Abbott, he allegedly had an affair with musician Helena Springs. The relationship came to light years later when Springs took De Niro to court for child support, according to the Associated Press. During the trial, Spring alleged that she had met De Niro at a party in 1979, and they began an intimate relationship that lasted for three years.

In 1982, Springs gave birth to a daughter named Nina, and De Niro was allegedly led to believe he was the father of the little girl. De Niro’s attorney said the actor paid for the birth, and he testified that he saw Nina on “four to six occasions,” all while under the impression that the child was his. It was later found through DNA testing that the woman’s daughter did not belong to De Niro — but in court Springs argued that because De Niro had treated Nina as a daughter, he still owed child support.

The judge ultimately dismissed the claims and ruled that De Niro had no obligation to pay child support.

Toukie Smith

Following De Niro’s split from Abbott, he began dating Toukie Smith in 1988. Although it’s not known how the couple initially met, they went on to date for almost a decade. When Smith was asked about the relationship in 1990, she shied away from sharing details about her personal life.

“What’s great about a private life is it’s private,” she told the Los Angeles Times at the time.

De Niro and Smith continued to be spotted together throughout the years, with Smith even hosting benefits at restaurants owned by De Niro. Their relationship was on-and-off, with the two allegedly splitting in 1994 before getting back together, per the New Yorker. The pair went on to learn they were expecting twins together via surrogate, welcoming their sons Julian Henry and Aaron Kendrick in October 1995.

They ultimately split a few years later, though.

Naomi Campbell

De Niro dated supermodel Naomi Campbell at some point during the 1990s. Although they kept things extremely private, and not much is known about their romance, Campbell says that De Niro taught her a very important lesson in life.

“For me, privacy is important to know each other, and I always worry that my job will not allow that,” she shared in an interview with WSJ. Magazine. “But I have ways. I was taught that by Robert De Niro. Being alone doesn’t mean you are lonely. I don’t have time to be bored, and I don’t have time to be lonely.”

Following their split, the pair have remained on good terms, with Campbell sharing that she saw De Niro in early 2020.

“Whatever they say about me, I have remained friends with all my exes … except the last one,” she told The Times. “I saw Robert De Niro just before lockdown.”

Grace Hightower

De Niro first met Grace Hightower in 1987 while she was working at the Mr. Chow restaurant in London. At the time, De Niro was still married to Abbott, but the pair stayed in touch. While the couple have been vague about what transpired over the next decade, Hightower once told the New York Times that their relationship was “an ease-in,” not “a whirlwind.”

In June 1997, De Niro and Hightower officially tied the knot at their home in Marbletown, New York. There were only 11 people at the intimate affair, including De Niro’s famous friends, Harvey Keitel and Joe Pesci. It wasn’t long before they were expecting their first child, and in March 1998, they welcomed their son Elliot.

Unfortunately, less than two years into their marriage, De Niro filed for divorce. At the time, a source close to De Niro told PEOPLE that “Bobby was just not working hard enough at his marriage to Grace.” While the two were able to amicably co-parent for some time, in 2001, a custody battle began.

In court, Hightower accused De Niro of getting intimate with another woman and having a drug problem — while De Niro claimed that Hightower had a temper and once fractured one of his ribs in a skirmish. The pair were ordered by a judge to meet with a mental health expert to help resolve the custody battle.

Ultimately, the divorce was never finalized, and by 2004, they appeared to have moved past their troubles. In November of that year, De Niro and Hightower renewed their vows at their Ulster County farm near the Catskill Mountains in New York. On the big day, they were surrounded by many famous faces, including Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Ben Stiller and Tom Brokaw.

Related: Splitting—Again: The Ups and Downs of Robert De Niro & Grace Hightower's 21-Year Marriage

Over the course of the next few years, things seemed to go smoothly for the duo, who often appeared at red carpet events together. By that time, Hightower had become De Niro’s publicist, helping to run red carpet interference for her husband. Then, in December 2011, De Niro and Hightower announced that they had welcomed their second child via surrogate, a little girl named Helen Grace. While talking about fatherhood with PEOPLE, the Meet the Parents star expressed he was excited to get the opportunity to raise another child.

“Sometimes you’re the last person they want to deal with. It’s like when you walk your kids to school and they get older and they don’t want to hold your hand or kiss you goodbye,” he said, adding that he was thrilled to start the process again with his daughter. “It’s good stuff now.”

The couple continued to make public appearances over the next few years, often attending events together. In August 2018, De Niro celebrated his 75th birthday with Hightower, but just a few months later, news surfaced that they were once again going their separate ways. De Niro confirmed the split to PEOPLE, sharing that it was a “difficult” time for them both.

“Grace and I have two beautiful children together. We are entering a period of transition in our relationship which is a difficult but constructive process,” he said. “I honor Grace as a wonderful mother and ask for privacy and respect from all as we proceed to develop our roles as partners in parenting.”

Tiffany Chen

In 2015, while De Niro was still married to Hightower, he met martial arts instructor Tiffany Chen on the set of The Intern. In the film, she played a Tai Chi instructor who helped De Niro's character.

Their relationship didn't turn romantic until 2021, when the two were spotted vacationing in the south of France. During the outing, they were seen holding hands and kissing while on a friend’s luxury yacht. Since their first PDA-filled date, the couple have been spotted on several occasions. While De Niro was working on his film Wise Guys, sources told PEOPLE that Chen “seemed supportive” and “visited the set.”

“He seemed excited to have her around,” the source shared.

Related: Who Is Robert De Niro's Girlfriend? All About Tiffany Chen

In May 2023, De Niro shared that he had welcomed his seventh child — and his About My Father costar Kim Cattrall later confirmed that Chen was the baby’s mother. De Niro confirmed the news himself shortly after, sharing that the little girl had been born in April, and they had named her Gia Virginia Chen De Niro.

Following the arrival of their little girl, De Niro and Chen made a rare public appearance at the Vanity Fair x Prada party during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in France. They were later spotted on a lunch date with musician Sting and his wife Trudie Styler. While the pair have been seen together since their daughter’s birth, they have not yet commented on the status of their relationship.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.