Who Is Robert De Niro's Girlfriend? All About Tiffany Chen

Skyler Caruso

9 May 2023 at 5:02 pm·5-min read

Robert De Niro, who just welcomed his seventh child, first sparked romance rumors with Tiffany Chen in August 2021

*BACKGRID, Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Tiffany Chen; Robert De Niro*

Get to know Robert De Niro's girlfriend.

The Academy Award winner was first spotted with Tiffany Chen in August 2021, following his November 2018 split from ex-wife Grace Hightower.

While De Niro and Chen first sparked dating rumors with their PDA-filled outing, the pair had met years prior when filming a movie together in 2015. Chen, a martial arts instructor, had a role in the project The Intern, which starred De Niro.

Despite their various European vacations and dinner dates with each other, neither De Niro nor Chen have spoken publicly about the status of their relationship.

In May, De Niro revealed that he welcomed a seventh baby during a sit-down with ET Canada while discussing parenting and his most recent film, About My Father, but at the time, he didn't specify with whom. However, the actor's About My Father costar Kim Cattrall confirmed shortly after that he welcomed the child with his girlfriend Chen.

As an acclaimed martial arts professional, Chen has been highlighted in the media for her accomplishments. During an interview with Inside Kung-Fu Magazine in 2011, she opened up about the people she surrounds herself with.

"Surrounding yourself with good people creates a symbiotic relationship that makes everyone's quality of life go up exponentially," she previously told the outlet.

De Niro has six children from previous relationships. He and his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, are parents to daughter Drena and son Raphael. In 1995, he welcomed twin sons Julian and Aaron with his former girlfriend Toukie Smith. De Niro also shares son Elliot and daughter Helen Grace with his ex-wife, Grace Hightower.

Here's everything to know about De Niro's rumored girlfriend, Chen.

She's a martial arts instructor

Chen is a martial arts pro with an impressive resume, having racked up dozens of gold medals and world titles over the course of her career. In fact, the athlete was born into a kung-fu family as the daughter of Grandmaster William C.C. Chen.

"I never practiced tai chi with the intention of looking to fight. I learned the form, I learned some push hands and then I started competing in push hands," Chen — who entered her first push hands competition at age 16 — told Inside Kung-Fu.

By age 26, she was inducted into the martial arts magazine's Hall of Fame as competitor of the year in February 2011. "My plan has always been to learn how to be as great as my father," she told the outlet.

RELATED VIDEO: Robert De Niro Reveals He 'Just Had a Baby' at 79, Now Is a Dad of 7

She has a background in dance

While martial arts is her primary focus, Chen's interest in the sport derived from her background in dance at a young age, including ballet and hula. She also took up swimming and gymnastic at age five, according to the bio on her website.

At age eight, Chen picked up figure skating and won three gold medals in a regional competition at age 11. In an effort to perfect her craft, she took ballroom dancing classes but quickly learned that tai chi was the secret to improving her form.

She first met De Niro on a movie set in 2015

Due to her impressive martial arts background, she was cast in a movie role that aligned with her skills — a gig that first introduced her to the Oscar-winning actor. The two met on set while working on the 2015 movie The Intern, where she played a Tai Chi instructor who helped De Niro's character.

She and De Niro were first linked in 2021

In August 2021, the duo sparked romance rumors when they were spotted holding hands while vacationing in the South of France. They were seen close together as they walked down to a luxury yacht where they joined a group of friends.

They were later spotted kissing on the boat, as seen in photos obtained by The Daily Mail. The outlet reported the luxury boat belonged to De Niro's billionaire business partner James Packer.

She has met some of De Niro's friends

Chen and De Niro were most recently photographed together leaving the restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica in March 2023. They were snapped alongside Harvey Keitel and Billy Crystal, who dined with them, according to photos obtained by Daily Mail.

An eyewitness at Giorgio Baldi told PEOPLE the group "had a long weekday dinner" and stayed until near closing time at the restaurant. "Robert and Tiffany sat next to each other. He is a regular at the restaurant and knew to order his favorites. They looked happy together," the eyewitness continued.

"He was attentive and sweet to her," they added of De Niro.

She is very supportive of De Niro's career

Amid the news that the actor welcomed his seventh child, a source told PEOPLE that the actor and Chen live together in Los Angeles, where De Niro "maintains a busy work schedule."

"He wrapped Wise Guys earlier this year," the source said. "He was very focused and energetic during filming. Just so professional and skillful. Truly a master at acting."

The insider added that "Tiffany seemed supportive" and "visited the set" where her beau was working: "He seemed excited to have her around."

She welcomed a baby girl with De Niro

De Niro welcomed his seventh baby on April 6, 2023. He announced the exciting news during a sit-down interview with ET Canada while chatting about parenting and his film About My Father. At the time, the actor didn't specify with whom he welcomed his seventh child, but his costar Cattrall confirmed it was Chen shortly after.

De Niro shared more details of his new arrival with Gayle King on CBS Mornings on May 11, sharing the first photo of his daughter, Gia Virginia Chen De Niro. King said the couple is "over the moon" about the newest member of the family.

After welcoming their daughter in May, the couple made a rare public appearance together at the Vanity Fair x Prada party at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in France, where they were photographed holding hands.

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