Robert De Niro emotionally opens up about raising his baby daughter Gia

Robert De Niro has emotionally opened up about raising his eight-month-old daughter, Gia, who he shares with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.

The 80-year-old actor opened up about the joys of being an older parent during an interview with AARP, published on 25 January. After specifying that “it feels great” to become a new father again at his age, he then opened up about the happiness he feels when looking at Gia.

“Everything that I’m consumed with or worried about just goes away when I look at her. It’s wondrous,” De Niro said. “When she gets older — who knows?”

As he got teary-eyed during the conversation, the Taxi Driver star continued to express how meaningful his time with his youngest child is. “But that very sweet way she has of looking at you, taking you in, thinking and watching and observing …” he added. “I want to be around for as long as I can to enjoy it and enjoy her.”

In addition to Gia, De Niro is the father of six other children, who he welcomed during previous relationships. The actor and his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, share one daughter, Drena, 51, and one son, Raphael, 46. In 1995, he welcomed his twins, Julian and Aaron, 27, with ex-girlfriend Toukie Smith. He also shares his 25-year-old son, Elliot, and 11-year-old daughter, Helen Grace, with ex-wife Grace Hightower.

Back in May 2023, De Niro subtly revealed that he’d welcomed his seventh child during an interview with ET Canada. When interviewer ​​Brittnee Blair stated: “I know you have six kids,” he corrected her and said: “Seven, actually. I just had a baby.”

Following the interview, he also confirmed to Page Six that his partner’s pregnancy was planned. “How you could not plan that kind of thing?” he said. During an episode of CBS Mornings days later, Gayle King shared new details from De Niro about the then newborn, revealing that Gia was born on 6 April 2023.

Since then, De Niro has continued to open up about being a father to seven children. During an appearance on Today in June, two months after welcoming Gia, he expressed how “great” fatherhood had been, and acknowledged how his approach to parenting has changed over time.

“When you’re older, you have awareness of certain things in life - dynamics, everything, family dynamics,” he said. “You can’t avoid learning certain things and how you can deal with those and manage them and this and that, the usual.”

Speaking to The Guardian in October 2023, he also praised his girlfriend for all the work she does raising their child. While confessing that fatherhood “doesn’t get easier,” after being a parent for quite some time, he said: “It is what it is. It’s okay. I mean, I don’t do the heavy lifting. I’m there, I support my girlfriend. But she does the work. And we have help, which is so important.”

The Irishman star then addressed some of the things that he enjoys the most about being a father, adding: “With a baby, it’s different to with my 11 year old. My adult children. My grandchildren. It’s all different.”