Robert De Niro And Wife Grace Hightower Separate

Source: Taylor Hill / Getty

Robert De Niro and his wife of twenty years, Grace Hightower have decided to end their marriage, a source told People Magazine.

“Sometimes things don’t work out the way you hope or want them to,” the insider who is allegedly close to the family claims.

Hightower and De Niro were married in 1997. They have two children together, 20-year-old Elliot and 6-year-old Helen Grace.

Even though their appearance at A-list events and red carpets may make their relationship seem filled with glamour and delight, things have not always been so peachy for the pair.

75-year-old De Niro filed for divorce from Hightower in 1999, going as far as taking his estranged wife to court over the custody of their son. But the issue was resolved before the divorce went through.

14 years ago, in 2004, the duo renewed their vows in front of friends, family and other celebs.

De Niro previously told People about the trouble he faced raising kids.

“There are great moments and moments of sadness,” he told the outlet. “Sometimes you’re the last person they want to deal with. It’s like when you walk your kids to school and they get older and they don’t want to hold your hand or kiss you goodbye.”

Hightower launched a coffee business in 2013 to help the people of Rwanda after viewing “Hotel Rwanda,” a film about the country’s 1994 genocide.

At the time, she told the SF Gate that her husband was supportive of her venture.

“He was in on the ground floor, and now he stands back and supports my involvement. And he makes a great cup of coffee, believe it or not,” she told the site.

Time will tell if this separation is a permanent one, or a temporary one like the brush with divorce they had in 1999.

Here are photos of the couple through the years:

Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty