Ivana Trump Changed Forever After Marrying Donald

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Ivana Trump established herself as one of the flashiest and indeed wealthiest women of the 1980s, no small feat for a period dripping in glitzy, shoulder-padded excess. But her beginnings were far humbler. She was born to an electrical engineer father and telephone operator mother in the Czechoslovakian town of Gottwaldov and spent her early career working as a ski instructor before pivoting into the slightly more glamorous world of modeling.

It was through modeling that Ivana, who tragically died in 2022 at the age of 73, first came into contact with Donald Trump, who was a high roller in the Big Apple's financial world thanks to the Trump Organization, a real estate firm initially run by his father. It was then that Ivana's fortunes — personal, professional, and financial — changed beyond her wildest dreams, as she and Donald went on to say "I do" in front of hundreds of the glitterati in 1977. From casino management and child rearing to celebrity status and fashion lines, here's a look at how Ivana's life completely changed after marrying Donald Trump.

In the same year that they tied the knot, Ivana and Donald Trump became first-time parents with the birth of Donald Jr. in December 1977. They continued adding to their family unit in 1981 with daughter, Ivanka, before completing it three years later with the arrival of Eric. But it's fair to say the power couple didn't exactly share parenting responsibilities equally.

Speaking to Page Six in 2016, Ivana revealed that — although her ex-husband undoubtedly loved their offspring — he wasn't the most involved dad. "He does not know how to make small talk and he certainly was not going to say, 'Oh, choo, choo, choo, choo. How cute we are today. Let's go to the park in the stroller.' No," Ivana shared, adding, "That was not his kind of thing." In fact, the Czech-American claimed that the future POTUS didn't start communicating with their kids properly until they were old enough to talk about business.

Ivana prided herself on being a committed full-time mom, which is why one particular insult bandied about during her and Donald's divorce proceedings hit her hard. At one point, the latter accused her of being a bad mother, insisting that he take full custody of their eldest child. But after Ivana called her ex-husband's bluff, Donald Jr. ended up back with his mother. "I knew Donald would not know what to do with him," she said. "It was hurtful, but I could not be intimidated."

While she was determined to be a constant in her kids' lives, Ivana Trump also had ambitions to become a success in her own right. And although she didn't credit her former husband much when it came to parenting, she did acknowledge that he was far more helpful when it came to business.

"Donald gave me all the opportunity to go and prove myself," Ivana said in a 2017 interview with ABC News. "I built the Commander Hotel. I built the Trump Tower. Then Donald [sent] me to Atlantic City, and I was flying at eight in the morning after breakfast with the kids to Atlantic City on the helicopter."

Ivana — whose net worth was said to be $100 million at the time of her death – was also asked about the controversial Access Hollywood video in which Donald freely admitted to groping women. Apparently, she believed his support of her career proved he wasn't sexist. "He loves the woman. Always did. He definitely respected women ... He was not really disrespectful," she explained. "He just jokes. Sometime he said things which are silly."

After walking down the aisle with Donald Trump, Ivana Trump became a regular fixture of New York City's glittering social scene, ultimately becoming as much of a celebrity as her husband. From award shows and galas to film openings and Broadway premieres, the businesswoman was never too far away from a NYC red carpet during the 1980s and onward.

Ivana even graced the big screen, appearing in the '90s comedy "The First Wives Club" to give Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton the invaluable advice: "Ladies, you have to be strong and independent, and remember, don't get mad, get everything." The film was released post-divorce from Donald, so many interpreted this line as a meta commentary on her split.

But despite becoming one of the most famous women in the world, Ivana still liked to present herself as a woman of the people. "When she'd walk in the restaurant, she always said 'Hi' to everyone," Atilla Cetin, the general manager of Ivana's favorite New York eatery, Nello, told the New York Post. "She never refused any conversation with anyone. She was so classy, so elegant — how she walked, how she sat, how she talked. It was like she was from a palace."

Ivana Trump certainly wasn't shy when it came to embracing her newfound celebrity status. In fact, her general life motto appeared to be "the more attention the better." Indeed, the businesswoman did everything she could to increase her profile and had some lofty ambitions, too.

"In 50 years, we will be the Rockefellers," once claimed Ivana (via The New York Times), who was also responsible for her husband Donald Trump's nickname of "The Donald," a term that only helped to endear the entrepreneur to the tabloids. In return, she was apparently described by the future POTUS as his twin. Ivana also enjoyed all the trappings that came with being such a society high flyer. Look at any snap from the 1980s and it's likely that she was traveling in a private jet or swanky limousine, drinking the finest champagne, and generally showing off her considerable wealth in any way possible.

However, Ivana also argued that she would be able to survive without such riches. "I like to live," she told WWD. "I like to dance. I like entertainment and the family. I like to enjoy. And knock on wood — it's nice that I can live that way. And if it all goes away, Donald and me, we would survive. We have two hands, we can work."

After buying Manhattan's Plaza Hotel — which he had his eye on for more than a decade — Donald Trump appointed his then-wife as its first female president. "I will pay her one dollar a year and all the dresses she can buy," he declared at a press conference (via Vanity Fair). But while the future POTUS might not have taken Ivana Trump seriously, she certainly did.

"My professional goal is to make the Plaza a spectacular hotel, a five-star hotel," Ivana told Deseret News about her introduction to the world of real estate. "Service, service, service. That's what it is all about, and it must be impeccable. I will not be satisfied until it is." This included implementing a new dress code which forbade employees from donning jeans and shorts, repainting the hallway carpets from green to red and gold, and insisting that each and every wedge of lemon had to be sliced the same way.

Ivana wasn't particularly worried about being accused of nepotism, either. "People often resent those who are lucky enough to be at the top, those who have it all," she added. "I can't worry about that attitude, and I can't fret over every decision I make. In my business dealings, I just do the best I can. And I pray that things turn out right."

Donald Trump isn't exactly renowned for blowing other people's trumpets. So Ivana Trump must have gone above and beyond when she was tasked with overseeing his Atlantic City casino, Trump's Castle, during the 1980s. Indeed, in his memoir "The Art of the Deal" (via CNN), the future POTUS sung his ex-wife's praises, describing her as a "great manager."

"When it comes to running a casino, good management skills are as important as specific gaming experience," Donald wrote. "She proved me right." Plus, Ivana's skills weren't limited to just the boardroom. As she told Vanity Fair during her stint at the top, the Czech-American had to know about every asset of the business.

"We have nearly four thousand employees," Ivana noted before citing the casino's $1.2 million payroll, 10,000 daily visitors, and 13,000 food and drink covers. "It's like running a small city. You have to know about housekeeping, laundry, entertainment, show girls, orchestra, casino lounges, the health club. Plus hotel marketing, casino marketing." The entrepreneur even knew exactly how much had been gambled that particular week, pulling out the paperwork to prove that a cool $16 million had gone through the tills.

From her shoulder-padded pantsuits and bouffant hair to her penchant for clothes made from chinchilla fur, Ivana Trump made an instant impression wherever she went in the 1980s. Her keen eye for fashion certainly didn't go unnoticed.

Dennis Basso, an acclaimed designer from NYC, was one such fan, even inviting Ivana to grace the catwalk at one of his swanky runway shows. "Ivana Trump's look wasn't for everyone," he acknowledged to The New York Times about her distinctive, PETA-scaring looks, instead presenting herself as if she were "living in her own movie." The businesswoman also became one of New York Fashion Week's most visible players, whether sitting on the front row or staging exclusive bashes for the likes of Valentino, and was reportedly the sartorial inspiration for Joanna Lumley's Patsy in the classic sitcom, "Absolutely Fabulous."

But it wasn't just in the clothes she wore where Ivana displayed her distinctive sense of style. She was instrumental in the look of Trump Tower, namely the installation of its 60-foot waterfall and the pink marble that adorns its walls and floors. Furthermore, she was also given the responsibility of overseeing the Grand Hyatt's interior design, heading back to her position just 48 hours after giving birth to eldest son, Donald Jr. In 1995, she launched her own company, The House of Ivana, which specialized in fashion and fragrances.

Ivana Trump filed for divorce from Donald Trump in March 1990. But the seeds of their marriage's breakdown were sown several months prior and in the kind of dramatic manner you would expect from a prime-time soap opera. While vacationing at an Aspen ski resort with her family, the businesswoman was confronted by Maria Maples, who told her that she was madly in love with Donald.

The betrayal left Ivana utterly devastated. And things only got worse when Donald walked down the aisle with Maples shortly after in 1993. "This woman broke up my marriage and took away my kids' father. I don't care how sorry she is," Ivana later wrote in her memoir (via E! News) about the apology she received from the second Mrs. Trump. "She wants my absolution for her sake! I'm doing just fine with my resentment, thank you very much." However, Ivana insisted that she didn't prevent the three children she shared with Donald from attending his nuptials. "I appreciated my children's company and support," she said, referring to Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Jr.'s decision to stay away.

In fact, Ivana, who's no stranger to tragedy, refused to address Maples by her name, insisting on calling her "the showgirl" instead, as she did while discussing her appearance on "Dancing with the Stars" during the 2016 election. "It was disrespectful to do the show. I never would have embarrassed Donald that way," she wrote.

Following her divorce from Donald Trump in 1990, Ivana Trump decided the world could benefit from her words of wisdom and reinvented herself as something of a lifestyle guru. She wrote an advice column for Globe titled "Ask Ivana," penned a book, "The Best Is Yet to Come: Coping with Divorce and Enjoying Life Again," and even created her own magazine, Ivana's Living in Style.

Ivana certainly wasn't short of positive mental attitude, that's for sure. In 2011, she told People, "I love to be me. I have fabulous friends, a boyfriend. Life is beautiful." The businesswoman also wasn't afraid to dish out advice to her ex-husband either. In one of many times she was brutally honest about Donald Trump, she tried but failed to encourage him to lose weight. "I can tell him 100 times, but he does what he wants anyway," she once told the New York Post.

In contrast, Ivana claimed to have always practiced what she preached. Speaking to the same publication about her own figure, she remarked, "I was always very disciplined. I didn't gain weight my whole life." The entrepreneur did admit to indulging in fast food — explaining how she was once pictured enjoying some calorific street food — but only on special occasions. "I have it once a year," she said.

Ivana Trump certainly subscribed to the theory that it's best to write about what you know. In 1992, just two years after her fairytale marriage to Donald Trump came to an end, the entrepreneur published a novel in which a glamorous Czech skier ties the knot with a wealthy American and manages a Manhattan hotel before heading for the divorce courts. Sounds familiar, eh?

However, Ivana insisted that "For Love Alone," the first offering from a two-book deal worth $1 million, wasn't autobiographical. She also acknowledged in an interview with Vanity Fair that she wasn't trying to create a literary work of art: "I don't say I'm the Shakespeare, but it's not just about the beautiful people and the gorgeous yachts and the fabulous homes and a lot of sex. I tried to put in more the feelings."

Ivana — who cited Barbara Taylor Bradford's "A Woman of Substance" as a major source of inspiration — went on to write the follow-up "Free to Love" in 1993. But the biggest impact she had as an author related to her experiences as a mother. In 2017, the same year that her ex-husband Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, she published "Raising Trump: Family Values from America's First Mother," a memoir detailing both her own childhood and those of her three kids, Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka.

Having married and divorced no fewer than three men several years her senior — Alfred Winklmayr, Donald Trump, and Riccardo Mazzucchelli — Ivana Trump decided to change tactics. In 1997, she began stepping out with Count Roffredo Gaetani dell'Aquila d'Aragona Lovatelli, an aristocrat from Italy who was six years her junior. And this new approach seemed to work until things took a turn for the tragic — eight years into their relationship, Lovatelli died in a car crash.

In 2008, Ivana wed Rossano Rubicondi, an Italian model who was 23 years younger. The couple headed for the divorce courts within the space of 12 months but continued to give the tabloids plenty of drama to feast upon with an on-again, off-again relationship that lasted until 2019. You might not know that they even appeared together on the Italian version of "Dancing with the Stars." Sadly, the Czech-American went through heartbreak again when Rubicondi died at age 49 in 2021 from melanoma complications.

Ivana became so renowned for her penchant for younger men that in 2006 she was invited to follow in the reality TV footsteps of her second husband and front a new dating show which aimed to pair older women with younger men. "I cannot be with an older man," she explained on its announcement to the Daily Mail (via BBC News). "They're too set in their ways. I prefer to be a babysitter than a nursemaid."

Although their marriage ended under acrimonious circumstances, Donald and Ivana Trump still managed to maintain a relationship. Donald accompanied Ivana to her dad's funeral the same year they got divorced. Plus, he would regularly call her for advice during his journey to the White House.

"Sometimes I tell him to just, not to speak that much, and tweet are the tweets," Ivana told ABC News in 2017. "I don't disagree with him because he has so much press against him, so if he says something his words are going to be twisted immediately." In fact, Donald reportedly offered her a position within his administration as the United States' ambassador to the Czech Republic, which she rejected on the grounds it would impact her personal freedom. He was also among the guests at Ivana's funeral some may have been surprised to see.

That no doubt explains why Ivana wasn't jealous of Melania Trump's role as first lady. "I think for her to be in Washington must be terrible," she told ABC News while promoting memoir "Raising Trump." "It's better her than me. I would hate Washington." The Czech-American claimed, however, that she would have no problems straightening up the White House, delivering a 45-minute speech without the aid of a teleprompter, or taking part in negotiation talks.