De Niro’s estranged wife will not get half of his earnings

ROBERT DE NIRO’S estranged wife is not entitled to half of his fortune, a court has ruled.

The Hollywood actor had signed a prenuptial agreement with Grace Hightower in 2004.

She argued it entitled her to half of his earnings during their marriage.

But an appeal court decision said: “The husband’s income earned during the marriage and other business assets acquired during that time are his separate property.”

Ms Hightower, 66, will receive $6million (£4.3million) toward buying a home for herself and the couple’s children, and $1million a year.

De Niro, 78, filed for divorce in 2018. Following the court ruling, Caroline Krauss, his lawyer, said: “The decision speaks for itself. We obviously agree with the conclusion.”

At a hearing in the case in April lawyers for De Niro claimed he had been “forced to work at a prodigious pace” to “keep pace with Ms Hightower’s thirst for Stella Mccartney”.

Lawyers for Ms Hightower claimed the actor had slashed her monthly payments and spent large amounts on private jets.

The appeal court ruling upheld one by a lower court in February.