| Ivana Trump | |
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Ivana Trump in October 2007 |
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| Born | Ivana Marie Zelníčková February 20, 1949 Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia |
| Ethnicity | Czech |
| Occupation | Actress, author, socialite |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Net worth | $100 million |
| Spouse | Alfred Winklmayr (1971–76) Donald Trump (1977–92) Riccardo Mazzucchelli (1995–97) Rossano Rubicondi (2008–2009) |
| Children | Donald Trump, Jr. Ivanka Trump Eric Trump |
| Parents | Milos Zelníček Maria (née Francova) |
| Website | |
| IvanaTrump.com | |
Ivana Trump (born Ivana Marie Zelníčková (Czech pronunciation: [ˈɪvana ˈmarɪjɛ ˈzɛlɲiːtʃkovaː]); February 20, 1949) is a former Olympic athlete, socialite, and fashion model noted for her marriage to mogul Donald Trump.
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Ivana was born to Milos and Maria (née Francova)[1] in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia, now Zlín, Czech Republic. From a very young age, her father nurtured and encouraged her skiing talent. In 1972, Ivana Zelníčková was selected as an alternate on the 1972 Czechoslovak Olympic Ski Team which allowed her several opportunities to travel outside the Communist Bloc. A year earlier, she married Austrian skier, Alfred Winklmayr, in order to obtain a foreign passport so that Communist leaders would not deem her a defector.
In the early 1970s she earned a master's degree in physical education from Charles University of Prague. In 1975 she left Czechoslovakia for Canada to be with a childhood friend, George Syrovatka, who owned a ski boutique there. For the following two years she lived in Montreal and worked as a model for some of Canada's top fur companies. In 1976 she divorced Winklmayr, left Syrovatka and moved to New York to promote the Montreal Olympics. It was in New York that she met Donald J. Trump, son of prominent real estate developer Fred Trump.
On April 7, 1977, Ivana married Trump in a lavish society wedding. The Trumps became leading figures in New York high society and business during the 1980s. They set to work on several massive projects, including the construction of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 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 John, Jr. (born 31 December 1977), Ivanka Marie (born 30 October 1981), and Eric (born 6 January 1984). She has four grandchildren. Three from her elder son's marriage to Vanessa Haydon: Kai Madison (born 12 May 2007) Donald John Trump, III (born 18 February 2009) and Tristan Milos (born October 2, 2011) and one from her daughter's marriage: Arabella Rose (born 17 July 2011).
Ivana Trump took a major role in the Trump Organization. She became the Vice President of Interior Design for the company, spearheading the signature design of Trump Tower. Afterwards, Donald appointed her to head up the Trump Castle Hotel and Casino as president. She became a U.S. citizen in 1988.
In the late 1980s, Trump decided to leave Atlantic City in order to devote more time to her family. However, Donald asked her to oversee the restoration of the landmark Plaza Hotel, and she took over as its president. She was named Hotelier of the Year in 1990. Trump's work at the Plaza would be the zenith of her work within the Trump Organization.
Towards the end of that year, rumors began to circulate that Donald was having an affair with a former beauty queen from Georgia, Marla Maples. While the family was on holiday in Aspen, Colorado that Christmastime, Ivana encountered Maples on the ski slopes; their confrontation was reported in the New York Post the following day. In 1991, Ivana retained entertainment attorney Neil Papiano and filed for divorce, seeking a greater amount of the family fortune than had been set out in her prenuptial agreement. Donald fought back in court, protesting Ivana's claims that she had contributed to the Trump Organization.
The divorce battle fueled extensive pieces in the gossip columns. The situation was resolved after the sudden death in October 1990 of Ivana's 63 year old father from a heart attack.[2] The Trumps stood side by side at the funeral and their divorce was settled soon after.
Although the settlement remains sealed by the courts it is rumored that Ivana received $20 million, the $14 million family estate in Connecticut, a $5 million housing allowance, $350,000 annual alimony, all of her jewelry and 49% of Mar-A-Lago, the family home in Palm Beach which also serves as a private club for the Palm Beach elite. Not long after her divorce from Trump, Ivana married Riccardo Mazzucchelli. The marriage did not make it to its second anniversary. Trump filed a $15 million breach of contract suit against Mazzucchelli for violating the confidentiality clause in their prenuptial agreement. The suit was settled out of court.
In April 2008, Trump, 59, married her on/off mate, Rossano Rubicondi, who is 24 years her junior.[3] The $3 million wedding for 400 guests was hosted by ex-husband Donald Trump at his Florida Mar-A-Lago estate. Trump's daughter Ivanka, of the reality show The Apprentice, was her maid of honor.[4] On December 1, 2008, Trump confirmed to the Associated Press that she had filed a legal separation agreement three months previously; she has stated in interviews that she and her husband have an on again off again relationship. Rubicondi became one of stars of the Italian reality show L'isola dei famosi (Celebrity Survivor) in 2008.
Soon after her divorce from Donald Trump, Ivana signed on with the William Morris Agency and developed lines of clothing, fashion jewelry and beauty products that have been successfully sold through television shopping channels. She has also written several bestselling books including the novels For Love Alone Lucy Wilkins and Free to Love and the self-help book The Best is Yet to Come: Coping with Divorce and Enjoying Life Again. In 2001, Trump penned an advice column for Divorce Magazine.[5] She played a cameo role in the Hollywood film The First Wives Club with the memorable line: "Remember girls: don't get mad, get everything."
Trump is presently involved in a trademark dispute with Donald regarding the use of her name for use with real estate services.[6]
Trump recently sued a Finnish fashion company, accusing it of selling women's clothing that incorporates her name without permission.[7]
Trump was the host of Oxygen Network's reality-dating series Ivana Young Man in 2006.
Trump's website,[8] features her "Ivana Haute Couture" perfume and cosmetics lines as well as her line of cameo jewelry, designed in conjunction with Italian cameo sculpting firm M+M Scognamiglio.
Trump took part in Celebrity Big Brother in January 2010. She entered on January 9, and finished seventh on January 27, two days before the final.[9] She is a guest on the island in Italian reality show L'isola dei famosi, a kind of Celebrity Survivor, in March 2010.
Absolutely Fabulous creator Jennifer Saunders has admitted that the character Patsy Stone (who shares Trump's characteristic blond beehive) is partially based on Trump.[10]
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