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Donald Trump’s personal life has made headlines countless time over the past few years, and now, The Trump Dynasty will delve even deeper into the president’s life.
In the words of CNN, the three-part, six-hour documentary will “offer a detailed guide of the people and events that shaped him.”
One of the events that undoubtedly shaped Donald was his fifteen-year marriage to Ivana Zelníčková. Read on to learn more about their marriage and divorce.
1. They Married in 1977 and Divorced in 1992
Getty Socialite Ivana Trump and dog attend the Zang Toi Spring/Summer 2004 Fashion Show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Bryant Park September.
Ivana was born in 1949 in Zlin, Czechoslovakia. She attended the Charles University in Prague.
For much of her life, Ivana was a skier. She was even selected as an alternate on the Czechoslovak ski team during the 1972 Winter Olympics. However, according to the book Spy, Petr Pomezný, Secretary General of the Czechoslovak Olympic Committee, is quoted as saying, “Who is this Ivana woman, and why do people keep calling us about her? We have searched so many times and have consulted many, many people, and there is no such girl in our records.”
Ivana played a large role in The Trump Organization during her marriage to the president. She acted as the Vice President of Interior Design for the company. She was eventually appointed to head up the Trump Castle and Casino as President.
2. They Have Three Children Together
(L-R) Cristina Greeven Cuomo of Niche Media, Donald Trump, Jr. and Ivan Trump attend a “Spring Into Summer” cocktail reception hosted by Ivana Trump and Jason Binn, CEO of Niche Media
Donald and Ivana have three children together: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric.
While they still speak today, often about their children, they underwent a nasty divorce before getting to that point.
According to divorce papers obtained by the New York Daily News, Ivana held that Trump had “numerous dirty tricks against her to keep money in his pockets.” In one clause, Ivana said that their prenup contained the clause that any gifts given to Ivana during their marriage would be returned in the case of divorce. Ivana said she was shocked when she learned about this. The New York Daily News reports her as saying, “I remember the part about the gifts. I had been very hurt. I had been confused by it. … I didn’t understand the whole concept, why I’m returning the gifts which are going to be acquired by my husband and given to me during our marriage.”
The outlet writes that Donald went on to blame the clause on his lawyer. They also report that hundreds of documents in the case, which were filed in 1990, are missing.
3. They Divorced Following Trump’s Affair with Actress Marla Maples
Trump led a very public affair with Marla Maples. He married her one year after divorcing Ivana.
In her book, Raising Trump, Ivana describes an encounter she had with Maples before her divorce from Trump. “This young blonde woman approached me out of the blue and said ‘I’m Marla and I love your husband. Do you?‘… I said ‘Get lost. I love my husband.’ It was unladylike but I was in shock.”
She goes on writing about the affair, “I can only shake my head at how it insane it was… I couldn’t turn on the television without hearing my name.”
4. Court Papers from Their Divorce Proceedings State That It Was ‘Unsafe or Improper for Them to Be Married’
During their divorce, rumors swirled that Trump treated Ivana terribly throughout their marriage– there were even reports that she accused him of rape.
A 2016 New York Daily News article reads, “The dusty documents stored in a box in the clerk’s office of Manhattan Supreme Court contain allegations that Trump ‘verbally abused and demeaned’ his ex-wife. Ivana alleged that he ‘lied’ and that his treatment of her was ‘cruel and inhuman.'”
The papers also write that it was “unsafe or improper for them to be married.”
In a separate 2018 interview, however, with Good Morning Britain, Ivana said that she was never touched inappropriately by Trump during their marriage.
In 2016, according to a separate New York Daily News post, the New York Times and the Gannett newspaper sued to obtain the records from the divorce to see if Ivana accused Trump of rape.
Ivana and Donald Trump fought back by urging a judge to reject the motion brought forward by the New York Times and the Gannett. In Trump’s response to the media motion, his attorneys wrote, “In seeking to invade the Trumps’ 26-year-old confidential matrimonial files, the Times and Gannett, as shown in Mr. Trump’s filing in opposition to their motion, rely on entirely unprecedented and erroneous arguments that are contrary to the protections afforded by the Legislature over 150 years ago.”
Ivana’s personal affidavit read, “I do not want the details of our divorce (most of which have already been reported extensively) to be opened up and displayed to the general public for their misinterpretation and amusement… Donald and I currently share a warm relationship and our family should not be forced to relive this part of our past because he is running for president.”
In September, a judge rejected the New York Times request to unseal the divorce file.
5. Ivana Has Been Married Four Times
Billionaire Donald Trump and his wife Ivana arrive 04 December 1989 at a social engagement in New York.
Donald Trump was Ivana’s second marriage. Prior to Trump, she was married to Alfred Winklmayr from 1971 to 1973, Riccardo Mazzucchelli from 1995 to 1997, and Rossano Rubicondi from 2008 to 2009.
Her only three children are with Trump.
Ivana reportedly met Trump in 1976 while she was with a group of models. Within one year, they were married by Norman Vincent Peale, a minister and author.