Grace Hightower is a philanthropist and socialite who was married to Robert De Niro for over 20 years
Hightower launched her personal line of espresso, Grace Hightower & Coffees of Rwanda
Hightower has remained energetic in philanthropy, serving on the boards of numerous corporations and being commemorated for her charitable work

Grace Hightower is a philanthropist and socialite who changed into married to Hollywood legend Robert De Niro for over 20 years. The couple’s divorce turned into finalized in 2019, but their relationship has been plagued with drama and legal battles in current years.

Who is Grace Hightower? Hightower became born in Kilmichael, Mississippi, in 1955, and grew up in a family of 9 youngsters. After graduating from college, she worked as a flight attendant and model before launching her personal line of espresso, Grace Hightower & Coffees of Rwanda, which sources espresso beans from farmers in Rwanda.

Hightower met De Niro in 1987 while she became running as a hostess at the Mr. Chow eating place in London. The couple get on well and started out courting, and De Niro even converted to Islam in order to marry Hightower in a traditional Muslim ceremony in 1997.

The couple welcomed their first baby, a son named Elliot, in 1998. They later had a daughter, Helen Grace, thru surrogate in 2011.

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However, their marriage become far from clean crusing. In 1999, De Niro filed for divorce after just two years of marriage, mentioning “irreconcilable differences.” The couple later reconciled and renewed their vows in 2004, however rumors of infidelity and discord persevered to dog their courting.

In 2018, De Niro filed for divorce from Hightower again, and the court cases were finalized the following yr. The divorce changed into acrimonious, with Hightower reportedly traumatic half of De Niro’s $500 million fortune and accusing him of being emotionally abusive.

The drama persisted in 2020, whilst Hightower sued De Niro for allegedly slicing her monthly credit score card allowance from $one hundred,000 to $50,000. De Niro denied the allegations and countersued, claiming that Hightower had mismanaged their budget and owed him $6 million.

Despite the sour quit to their marriage, Hightower has remained lively in philanthropy and social reasons. She is a board member of the New York Women’s Foundation and the New York Women in Film and Television organisation, and has been commemorated for her work with diverse charities and organizations.