Robert De Niro, who is famed for his roles in Taxi Driver, Casino, and Goodfellas, had a “sweet” reaction after his partner Tiffany Chen’s face “melted on itself”
Robert De Niro’s partner has revealed the actor’s three-word reaction to a health ordeal that impacted her face after she gave birth to her daughter.
The Godfather II actor, 81, and his martial artist girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, welcomed a daughter named Gia Virginia Chen De Niro to the world in April 2023, De Niro’s seventh child.
Soon after the birth, 41-year-old Tiffany lost movement in her face, with an MRI revealing that she had a neurological condition known as Bell’s palsy.
She told CBS Mornings: “I lost all facial function the minute I got into the hospital and the one thing that threw everybody off was that it was perfectly symmetrical, how everything had fallen and how everything just wasn’t working.”
Tiffany described how she overheard a doctor questioning whether it could be Bell’s palsy, but said others then pointed out that the condition typically only affects one side of the face.
She detailed how her lower lip ended up hanging and how she would have to hold it up. Meanwhile, talking involved holding her chin and manipulating her lower lip to make specific sounds.
When asked what De Niro’s reaction was, Tiffany said: “He was very sweet; he tried to say that he didn’t see any difference. He didn’t see any change. He was like, ‘No’. He’s like, ‘You look fine’.
“He’s like, ‘Maybe you look a little stern’, and I’m like, ‘Really? My whole face is melted on itself. But he was very strong, very supportive.”
De Niro, famed for his roles in Taxi Driver, Casino, Goodfellas, and Cape Fear, has seven children, Drena, Helen Grace, Raphael, twins Julian and Aaron, Elliot and Gia, with four mothers. He’s set to grace our screens tonight on The Graham Norton show.
According to the NHS, Bell’s palsy is a temporary weakness or lack of movement that normally affects one side of the face but is treated with steroids and usually improves within six months.
Symptoms include facial weakness or being unable to move one side of your face, a drooping eyelid or mouth, losing your sense of taste, dryness in your eyes, and drooling.
It also said in rare instances, people who suffer from Bell’s palsy might not be able to move either side of their face. Treatments also include eye drops, ointment and surgical tape, which helps to keep your eye closed when it’s time to sleep.
The NHS added that symptoms should improve within six months, but this isn’t always the case as some people experience them for longer, with the health service urging people to return to their doctor if they haven’t improved after three weeks.
You should always call 999 if somebody’s face droops on one side, somebody can’t lift up their arms and hold them up, or an individual has problems speaking; these symptoms could indicate a stroke.
You can learn more about Bell’s palsy via the NHS website here.
