Robert De Niro opens up about family, says Tiffany Chen 'does the work' with infant daughter

Robert De Niro, who is famously tight-lipped about his private life, has offered some insight into his family life months after the birth of his seventh child.

In an interview with The Guardian published Sunday, the "Godfather" actor, 80, said "It's going OK" when asked how things are going with partner Tiffany Chen and his youngest daughter, Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, who was born April 6. When it comes to parenting, De Niro added, "It doesn't get easier."

"It is what it is. It's OK," he said. "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."

Three months after giving birth to Gia, Chen opened up to Gayle King on "CBS Mornings" in July about her experience with postpartum Bell's palsy.

After returning home from the hospital, the martial arts instructor started to notice that her tongue felt strange, and "my face just felt weird." About a week after she gave birth, she called her doctor after realizing she couldn't eat and was starting to slur.

"When I got home it was like everything was just starting to fall down on itself, like my face was melting," she said. "I lost all facial function the minute I got into the hospital."

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With nearly five decades of fatherhood under his belt, De Niro said he still enjoys being a parent.

"With a baby it’s different to with my 11-year-old. My adult children. My grandchildren," he told The Guardian. "It’s all different."

“You think more about time. Every summer, every new season, everything, you say, ‘Well, I’m going to use these few months of the summer to be with my kids, my family,'" he said about his ambition to "stay alive." "Everything I do, time-wise, is important. Whatever I’m thinking about doing in two years, I’d better think about doing it now.”

De Niro adopted Diahnne Abbott's daughter, Drena De Niro, 52, in his first marriage with Abbott. Their son, Raphael De Niro, 46, was born in 1976. He and Abbott divorced in 1988.

He shares twins Julian and Aaron, 27, with Toukie Smith, whom he never married. Elliot, 25, and Helen Grace, 11, were born during his marriage with Grace Hightower. The couple married in 1997 and filed for divorce in 2018.

He has three grandchildren after Drena's 19-year-old son, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, died in July from an accidental drug overdose.

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De Niro's latest collaboration with Martin Scorsese, "Killers of The Flower Moon," is out in theaters Oct. 20.

Contributing: Morgan Hines, USA TODAY

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