Robert De Niro attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England© Getty

Robert De Niro tears up during emotional conversation about being a new dad at 80

The Killers of the Flower Moon actor became a dad for the seventh time in May of last year

Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
January 25, 2024

Robert De Niro finds it hard to put into words all of the emotions that have come with becoming a dad once more at 80.

The legendary actor welcomed his seventh child, daughter Gia, in May of last year, with his longtime girlfriend Tiffany Chen. He kept news of it private until the baby was born, after which he casually announced during an interview that he was officially a dad to seven children, not six.

Now, though the couple are largely private about their new bundle of joy, the Killers of the Flower Moon star couldn't help but get emotional gushing about little Gia.

WATCH: Robert De Niro and Tiffany Chen's newborn daughter makes TV debut

In partnership with AARP, De Niro opened up about his seventh child, declaring: "I'm an 80-year-old dad, and it's great."

He continued: "Everything that I'm consumed with or worried about or this or that just goes away when I look at her."

The doting dad was then momentarily interrupted by his own tears, before he added: "That in itself is wondrous."

He explained: "She has a very sweet kind of way of looking at you and just taking you in," plus he noted: "And my other daughter, Helen, too."

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"They just look at you and take it in, so I don't know where it's gonna go with her later when she gets older, but she's thinking and she's observing everything and watching. It's really interesting," he said, and ultimately stated: "I want to be around for as long as I can to enjoy it, enjoy her."

© ANGELA WEISS

De Niro shares Gia with his partner Tiffany

The Oscar-winner's other six children are Drena, Raphael, Julian, Aaron, Elliot, and Helen Grace, which he shares with three different women.

Drena, 51, and Raphael, 46, he shares with his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, 78, who he married in 1976 and officially divorced from in 1988. Drena is Diahhne's daughter from a previous relationship, though De Niro adopted her and she took his last name when he married Diahnne. Raphael is his first biological child and his oldest son.

© Getty

The actor has six other kids

He then welcomed twin sons Julian and Aaron, 27, with his former girlfriend, model and actress Toukie Smith, 70, who he was with from 1985 until 1992. 

His second wife was Grace Hightower, 68; they were married from 1997 until 2018, and they share Elliot, 24, and Helen Grace, 11. They briefly separated between the births of their two kids.

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