Marla Maples Was Never The Same After Her Donald Trump Divorce (In The Best Ways)

Marla Maples is perhaps best known as the second ex-wife of President Donald J. Trump. Never forget the epic Aspen showdown wherein Ivana Trump claimed that Maples confronted her and said, "I love your husband. Do you?" (via People). Spoiler alert: Ivana and Donald divorced in 1990. In December 1993, two months after welcoming their daughter, Tiffany Trump, together, Trump and Maples said "I do" during a lavish ceremony at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.

As it turns out, however, Maples can do bad all by herself! Following her high-profile extramarital affair, marriage, and subsequent official divorce from Trump in 1999, Maples effectively turned lemons into lemonade, transforming her life into a better version than before. "I just think life is about being ready for anything ... and where you're going to find the positive in all things," she declared during an appearance on "Today" in December 2018. Between walking away from the marriage with a relatively meager divorce settlement, hightailing it out of New York City to raise her daughter out of the limelight, and even forging an all new career path for herself, it's plain to see that Maples leveled all the way up after her divorce from The Donald. Let's discuss, shall we?

One might assume that following her divorce from Donald Trump, Marla Maples laughed all the way to the bank. Sadly, that couldn't be further from the truth. "I kind of giggle about it when I hear people describe me living some lavish lifestyle," Maples told People in April 2016. "I live in a 740-sq.-ft. apartment. Who are they talking about?" According to the prenuptial agreement obtained by Vanity Fair in June 2019, Maples was awarded a relatively meager $1 million, and an additional $1 million to purchase a home.

The story goes that after the divorce, Maples took the couple's five-year-old daughter, Tiffany, booked it out of the city, and put down roots in sunny California. "She wanted me to have a chance to have a normal childhood. As normal as possible. I think that she did well in that," Tiffany told People about her mother's decision. Meanwhile, Maples told People in 2016 that she believed Tiffany was better for having been primarily raised by a single mother. "She was with me through every bit of my journey ... I never hid anything from her. She watched me have to go through so much in the media and how I handled it."

But even as a single mom, Maples still found time to work on her career. These days, Maples serves as the co-founder of The Global Wellness Forum and The Marla Maples Foundation. Per the official website, the forum "unites and empowers grassroots organizations, leaders, and activists worldwide to promote truth, wellness, and freedom." Oh, and we should mention that Maples is doing it all while aging like a fine wine — no tuned-up face work here. Must be the result of a strict wellness routine and all of that Florida sun where Maples currently resides.