Ivana Trump facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ivana Trump
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Trump in 2007
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| Born |
Ivana Marie Zelníčková
February 20, 1949 |
| Died | July 14, 2022 (aged 73) New York City, U.S.
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| Citizenship | Czech Republic United States |
| Alma mater | Charles University |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1970–2022 |
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Notable work
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Raising Trump, 2017 |
| Television | Ivana Young Man, 2006 |
| Spouse(s) |
Alfred Winklmayr
(m. 1971; div. 1973)Riccardo Mazzucchelli
(m. 1995; div. 1997)Rossano Rubicondi
(m. 2008; div. 2009) |
| Partner(s) | Roffredo Gaetani (1997–2005; his death) |
| Children | |
| Family | Trump |
Ivana Marie Trump (née Zelníčková February 20, 1949 – July 14, 2022) was a Czech-American businesswoman, media personality, fashion designer, author, and former model as well as the ex-wife of former U.S. President Donald Trump. She lived in Canada in the 1970s before migrating to the United States. She married Donald Trump in 1977 and held key managerial positions in The Trump Organization as vice president of interior design, as CEO and president of Trump's Castle casino resort, and as manager of the Plaza Hotel.
Ivana's divorce from Donald Trump, finalized in 1992, was the subject of extensive media coverage in the 1990s. Following the divorce, she developed her own lines of clothing, fashion jewelry, and beauty products which were sold on QVC London and the Home Shopping Network. Ivana wrote an advice column for Globe called "Ask Ivana" from 1995 through 2010 and published several books including works of fiction, self-help, and an autobiography.
On July 14, 2022, Trump died at her home in New York. Her death was announced by ex-husband Donald Trump on the Truth Social app.
Early life
Ivana Zelníčková was born on February 20, 1949 in the Moravian town of Zlín (formerly known as Gottwaldov), Czechoslovakia, the daughter of Miloš Zelníček, who was Czech, and Marie Francová, who was Austrian. From a very young age of 13, her father nurtured and encouraged her skiing talent. In the early 1970s, she attended Charles University in Prague.
According to Zelníčková, she was selected as an alternate on the Czechoslovak ski team during the 1972 Winter Olympics, her specialties being the downhill and slalom.
Relationships
In November 1971, 22-year old Zelníčková married 25-year-old Austrian real estate agent Alfred Winklmayr to enable her to leave Communist Czechoslovakia. Ivana received her Austrian passport in March 1972 and left for Canada in September 1972. The ‘cold war’ marriage was formally dissolved in August 1973.
In Canada she lived with her boyfriend whom she had been dating since 1967, who owned a ski boutique there. For the following two years, she lived in Montreal, improved her English by taking night courses, and worked as a model for some of Canada's top fur companies. Zelníčková left her boyfriend, and moved to New York City to promote the 1976 Summer Olympics that was being hosted in Montreal.
In 1976, Zelníčková met Donald Trump in New York City. On April 7, 1977, they married in a lavish wedding officiated by Norman Vincent Peale. Donald and Ivana Trump became leading figures in New York society during the 1980s. They worked on several large projects, including the renovation of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City, construction of the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
They had three children: Donald Trump Jr. (born December 31, 1977), Ivanka Trump (born October 30, 1981), and Eric Trump (born January 6, 1984). Donald Jr. learned to speak fluent Czech (with help of his maternal grandfather), while daughter Ivanka has only basic understanding of her mother's native tongue and Eric was not exposed to the language because at the time of his birth his grandparents were already comfortable enough in using English. Ivana has nine grandchildren.
Ivana took a major role in The Trump Organization. She became the Vice President of Interior Design for the company, leading the signature design of Trump Tower. Afterwards, her then-husband appointed her to head up the Trump Castle Hotel and Casino as president. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1988.
The Trumps' divorce proceedings appeared on New York tabloid newspapers' covers for 11 days in a row. Their divorce, was settled in 1991. A condition of settlement was that she not talk about their marriage without his permission. The divorce was finalized in 1992.
Career
Soon after her divorce from Donald Trump in 1992, she developed lines of clothing, fashion jewelry and beauty products that have been sold through television shopping channels. In 2005, Trump was involved in several proposed condominium projects that ultimately failed, including the never-built Ivana Las Vegas, and the Bentley Bay in Miami, Florida.
In 2010, she sued a Finnish fashion company, accusing it of selling women's clothing that incorporates her name without permission.
She has written several novels, including, For Love Alone (1992), Free to Love (1993) and a self-help book called, The Best is Yet to Come: Coping with Divorce and Enjoying Life Again (1995).
In June 1995, she began writing an advice column for Globe, titled Ask Ivana, about love and life. In 1998, she bought 33% of Croatia's second-largest daily newspaper - with a circulation of 100,000. In February 1999, she launched her own lifestyle magazine titled Ivana's Living in Style. In 2001, she contributed an advice column for Divorce magazine. In January 2010, Trump ended her advice column in Globe to pursue other business interests.
In 2017, she released an autobiography, Raising Trump, that covers her own upbringing and the early years of raising her children with Donald Trump.
Media appearances
She played a cameo role in the Hollywood film The First Wives Club (1996) with the line, "Ladies you have to be strong and independent. And remember: don't get mad, get everything."
She was the host of Oxygen Network's reality-dating program Ivana Young Man, which aired in 2006.
In 2008, she was a boardroom advisor on The Apprentice.
In 2010, Trump took part in the UK's Celebrity Big Brother, finishing seventh.
Images for kids
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Ivana and Donald Trump in receiving line of state dinner for King Fahd of Saudi Arabia in 1985, with U.S. president Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan
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Ivana (on the right) and Estée Lauder at a Red Cross ball in Palm Beach in 1986
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See also
In Spanish: Ivana Trump para niños
