Ivana Maria Zelníčková
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Ivana Trump, first wife of Donald Trump, served as a Trump Organization executive and later founded House of Ivana. A former competitive skier and model, she received a $25 million divorce settlement in 1990 and wrote several books. She died in 2022 at age 73 from blunt impact injuries in her Manhattan home.
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Ivana Trump — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Ivana Maria Zelníčková was born on February 20, 1949, in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia, to Marie and Miloš Zelníček. She became a championship skier in her teens. She earned a Master’s Degree in Physical Education and Languages from Charles University in Prague.
Ivana Trump began her career as a model in Canada before moving to the United States. After marrying Donald Trump in 1977, she held roles at the Trump Organization: vice president of interior design, CEO and president of Trump’s Castle casino, and manager of the Plaza Hotel. Her 1990 divorce led her to found House of Ivana in 1993, selling clothing, jewelry, and beauty products on QVC and HSN. She wrote the Ask Ivana advice column for Globe from 1995 to 2010 and authored books including the memoir Raising Trump. In 2001, she appeared on the UK’s Celebrity Big Brother.
Ivana Trump married four times. First to Alfred Winklmayr in 1971, divorced 1973. She married Donald Trump in 1977 and had three children: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. The 1990 divorce gave her a $25 million settlement. Later marriages: Riccardo Mazzucchelli 1995-1997 and Rossano Rubicondi 2008-2009. She had ten grandchildren and served as a witness for Brigitte Nielsen’s marriage to Mattia Dessì.
Ivana Trump received the Czech Medal of Merit and is recognized as one of 11 honorary U.S. first ladies. After her 1990 divorce, she founded House of Ivana, selling products on QVC and HSN. Her memoir Raising Trump and her Ask Ivana column from Globe reached many. She is remembered for her resilience and as the mother of Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka, and Eric.
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Little-known facts about Ivana Trump — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
She proposed naming their firstborn son Donald Jr., but Donald Trump Sr. resisted, fearing the child might become a loser.
In her teens, she was a championship skier in the Czech Republic.
She became a U.S. citizen after moving to America.
After her divorce from Donald Trump, Ivana received $14 million in cash, a Connecticut mansion, a New York penthouse, $350,000 annual alimony, and $300,000 annual child support, and founded her company House of Ivana in 1993.
She worked as a model before marrying Donald Trump.
She served as a witness for Brigitte Nielsen’s marriage to Mattia Dessì.
She earned a Master’s Degree in Physical Education and Languages from Charles University in Prague.
She had a direct line to Donald Trump at the White House and spoke with him every two weeks; she claimed to have encouraged him to use Twitter early in his presidency.
A biography titled Ivana Trump: A Very Unauthorized Biography was written by Norma King.
She appeared as a contestant on the UK’s Celebrity Big Brother in 2001.
She had ten grandchildren, including Kai, Donald III, Tristan, Spencer, Chloe, Arabella, Joseph, Theodore, Eric Luke, and Carolina.
She was one of only 11 honorary U.S. first ladies—wives married to a U.S. President at times other than their presidency—and the only one born outside the United States.
She was the mother-in-law of Jared Kushner and Lara Trump, and ex-mother-in-law of Vanessa Trump.
Her daughter Ivanka transferred from Georgetown University to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
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