Robert De Niro splits from wife of 20 years
Academy award winning actor Robert De Niro has reportedly split from his wife of 20 years Grace Hightower.
According to anonymous sources, De Niro, 75, and Hightower, 63, have been living separately for an extended amount of time, as reported in The Hollywood Reporter, TMZ and Peoplemagazine.
De Niro, who is highly respected throughout Hollywood, married Hightower in 1997 and have two children together. This was De Niro’s second marriage.
Speaking to People magazine, a friend said: “Sometimes things don’t work out the way you hope or want them to.”
De Niro is the proud recipient of two Oscars and is known to be notoriously private, as he prefers to keep his family away from the media attention.
De Niro and Hightower dated for 10 years before planning to tie the knot, but despite the lengthy relationship, the pair dealt with a rough patch two years into their marriage.
The actor had filed for divorce early on in their marriage but chose to withdraw the papers.
With a star-studded guest list, the couple renewed their wedding vows 14 years ago in front of Hollywood heavyweights Meryl Streep, Ben Stiller and Martin Scorsese.
The pair are expected to make an official announcement in the coming weeks.