Robert De Niro has spoken out about celebrating his daughter Gia’s first birthday.
The 80-year-old actor described raising his daughter with girlfriend Tiffany Chen during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, published on 31 May. When asked about Gia’s recent birthday, De Niro shared the little celebration his family had for her.
“She had a little cake, it was very nice, sweet,” he said.
The Irishman star went on to describe how happy his daughter, who was born in April 2023, makes him.
“Well, she’s pure joy,” he said. “There’s nothing about her, there’s no judgment, there’s no anything. She just is what she is, and it’s just pure joy for god sakes.”
He also acknowledged that while he’s continued to get older, he remains committed to his busy acting career. “I mean, I try to keep active in everything and yeah, what else am I gonna do?” he said.
In addition to Gia, De Niro is the father of six other children, who he welcomed during previous relationships. The actor and his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, share one daughter, Drena, 51, and one son, Raphael, 46. In 1995, he welcomed his twins, Julian and Aaron, 27, with ex-girlfriend Toukie Smith. He also shares his 25-year-old son, Elliot, and 11-year-old daughter, Helen Grace, with ex-wife Grace Hightower.
Back in May 2023, De Niro subtly revealed that he’d welcomed his seventh child during an interview with ET Canada. When interviewer Brittnee Blair stated: “I know you have six kids,” he corrected her and said: “Seven, actually. I just had a baby.”
Following the interview, he also confirmed to Page Six that his partner’s pregnancy was planned. “How you could not plan that kind of thing?” he said. During an episode of CBS Mornings days later, Gayle King shared new details from De Niro about the then newborn, revealing that Gia was born on April 6 2023.
Since then, De Niro has continued to open up about being an older parent. After noting that it “feels great” to become a new father again at his age, during an in withAARP in January, he discussed the happiness he feels when looking at Gia.
“Everything that I’m consumed with or worried about just goes away when I look at her. It’s wondrous,” De Niro said. “When she gets older — who knows?”
As he got teary-eyed during the conversation, the Taxi Driver star continued to express how meaningful his time with his youngest child is. “But that very sweet way she has of looking at you, taking you in, thinking and watching and observing …” he added. “I want to be around for as long as I can to enjoy it and enjoy her.”
During an interview with The Guardian in October, De Niro acknowledged that while fatherhood never “gets easier,” after being a parent for quite some time, his partner has offered him a great deal of support when raising their child.
“It’s OK. I mean, I don’t do the heavy lifting. I’m there, I support my girlfriend. But she does the work,” he explained. “And we have help, which is so important.”
