Robert De Niro 'forced' to work by ex-wife's lifestyle, claims lawyer

Robert De Niro is being "forced" to work by his ex-wife's lifestyle, his lawyer has claimed.

The 'Irishman' star is divorcing Grace Hightower and his legal representatives are claiming he has been made to work at a "prodigious pace" because of his ex's "thirst for Stella McCartney".

His lawyer, Caroline Krauss, said during a virtual divorce hearing on Friday (April 16): "Mr. De Niro is 77 years old, and while he loves his craft, he should not be forced to work at this prodigious pace because he has to. When does that stop?

"When does he get the opportunity to not take every project that comes along and not work six-day weeks, 12-hour days so he can keep pace with Ms. Hightower's thirst for Stella McCartney? He could get sick tomorrow, and the party's over."

It comes after De Niro claimed he's suffered a financial hit because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Hollywood star has opened up about his finances in court after his estranged wife Grace Hightower requested an emergency order to raise her monthly credit limit from US$50,000 (S$66,720) to US$100,000.

He appeared in court via a Skype call, and his lawyers said he halved her credit card limit after restaurant chain Nobu and Greenwich Hotel - which he has stakes in - were closed or partially closed for months during the health crisis. His lawyer Caroline Krauss told the judge that the restaurant chain lost US$3 million in April and a further US$1.87 million the next month.

She added that De Niro's 2004 prenuptial agreement with Hightower only requires him to pay US$1 million a year if it's earning US$15 million or more, and his payments would decline proportionally with his income.

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She said: "His accounts and business manager... says that the best case for Mr. De Niro, if everything starts to turn around this year... he is going to be lucky if he makes US$7.5 million this year."

She added the 76-year-old star has cut back spending "dramatically", while pointing to a postponed movie project which was set to film this summer before the pandemic.