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

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Who is Grace Hightower?
Hightower was born in Kilmichael, Mississippi, in 1955, and grew up in a family of nine children. After graduating from university, she worked as a flight attendant and model before launching her own line of coffee, Grace Hightower & Coffees of Rwanda, which sources coffee beans from farmers in Rwanda.

Hightower met De Niro in 1987 when she was working as a hostess at the Mr. Chow restaurant in London. The couple hit it off and began dating, and De Niro even converted to Islam in order to marry Hightower in a traditional Muslim ceremony in 1997.

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

However, their marriage was far from smooth sailing. In 1999, De Niro filed for divorce after just two years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences.” The couple later reconciled and renewed their vows in 2004, but rumors of infidelity and discord continued to dog their relationship.

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In 2018, De Niro filed for divorce from Hightower again, and the proceedings were finalized the following year. The divorce was acrimonious, with Hightower reportedly demanding half of De Niro’s $500 million fortune and accusing him of being emotionally abusive.

The drama continued in 2020, when Hightower sued De Niro for allegedly cutting her monthly credit card allowance from $100,000 to $50,000. De Niro denied the allegations and countersued, claiming that Hightower had mismanaged their finances and owed him $6 million.

Despite the bitter end to their marriage, Hightower has remained active in philanthropy and social causes. She is a board member of the New York Women’s Foundation and the New York Women in Film and Television organization, and has been honored for her work with various charities and organizations.