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- BBC News World
Updated 7 minutes
image source, Getty Images
Ivana Trump, the first wife of former US President Donald Trump, has died at the age of 73, the family said in a statement.
“Our mother was an incredible woman: a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and a loving mother and friend,” the statement read.
“He was a survivor. He fled communism and embraced this country. He raised his children in strength, tenacity, compassion and determination,” he adds.
Ivana Trump was the first wife of Donald Trump and together they had three children: Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric.
They married in 1977 and divorced 15 years later, in 1992.
The former president said in a statement that he is “very saddened” by the news.
“She was a wonderful, beautiful, amazing woman who led a great and inspiring life. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric. She was as proud of them as we all were of her. Rest well! In peace, Ivana!” Trump wrote.
model and celebrity
She was born Ivana Marie Zelníčková in former Soviet-era Czechoslovakia.
Her skill as a skier led her to represent her country in international competitions. She was first married to Alfred Winklmayr, an Austrian ski instructor and friend of hers by whom she gained Austrian citizenship. She was thus able to leave the country without being persecuted as a deserter.
In 1975 he moved to Canada, where he began a career as a model. She appeared on catwalks in New York, where she met Donald Trump in 1976 and the following year they were married.
image source, Getty Images
Ivana with Donald Trump in 1985.
They were one of the most notable couples in the Big Apple in the 1980s.
Both undertook the most important real estate projects of the Trump Organization, such as the Trump Tower, the Plaza Hotel or the Taj Mahal casino. Ivana Trump, who was the company’s vice president of interior design, is said to have been obsessive regarding detail and a workaholic.
The couple’s separation in 1992 was the subject of intense public scrutiny.
After the divorce, Ivana Trump launched her own lines of beauty products, clothing, and jewelry.
He described the upbringing of the three children in his memoir titled Raising Trump. She explained that her relationship with Trump had improved since her split and that she spoke to him once a week.
After the couple’s divorce, Ivana married on two other occasions.
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