Robert De Niro has broken his silence on reports stating that he and his wife, Grace Hightower, had separated. De Niro said on Tuesday in a statement: "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. 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."
The couple met when Hightower was working as a hostess at a Mr. Chow restaurant, and they married in 1997. They are the parents of two children, Elliott, 20, and Helen Grace, 6. Hightower is a philanthropist who also has had minor acting roles in movies and on TV.
De Niro was was previously married to Diahnne Abbott from 1976 to 1988 and they are the parents of two children, Drena, 47, and Raphael, 42. In 1995 he welcomed twin sons, Aaron and Julian, with his girlfriend at the time, Touki Smith. Back in 1999, De Niro filed for divorce from Hightower, but the two reconciled and renewed their wedding vows in 2004.
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