Robert De Niro said becoming a father again “feels great” — even at the age of 80.
The “Goodfellas” star, who welcomed daughter Gia last year with girlfriend Tiffany Chen, became emotional as he opened up about his 9-month-old in a new interview.
“Everything that I’m consumed with or worried about just goes away when I look at her,” he said in AARP The Magazine’s February/March 2024 issue.
“It’s wondrous.”
De Niro admitted he is not quite sure what will happen when Gia grows up, as he is already elderly, but he is focusing on the present.
“When she gets older — who knows? But that very sweet way she has of looking at you, taking you in, thinking and watching and observing …” the “Meet the Parents” star shared as tears filled his eyes.
Chen, 45, gave birth to Gia on April 6, 2023, but De Niro did not announce her arrival for about a month when he corrected a reporter who asked about his six kids.
“Seven, actually,” he retorted.
The couple met in 2015 on the set of “The Intern” and were spotted on a trip to Spain the following year.
A few years later, the martial arts instructor and De Niro were photographed celebrating his 78th birthday in France.
As of June 2023, De Niro’s six older kids hadn’t yet met Gia.
Although the “Killers of the Flower Moon” star and Chen experienced overwhelming joy upon Gia’s arrival, De Niro also faced heartbreak in 2023 when his grandson Leandro died at just 19 years of age.
“I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo,” the actor said in a statement to Pvnew via his rep in July.
“We’re greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo.”
Leandro’s mother, Drena De Niro, shared that her son died of an accidental fentanyl overdose.
“Someone sold him fentanyl laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him,” she alleged on Instagram.
“For all these people still f–king around selling and buying this s–t, my son is gone forever,” Drena, 52, added.
