Ivana Trump's trip to rehab has been exposed by a close friend.
What was she there for? Did she follow the rules? And what does her friend have
to say about it? Here's the truth about Ivana Trump's time in rehab.
Ivana Trump was a larger-than-life celebrity called an "inspiration" by her daughter Ivanka
Trump. Ivana's only daughter told People in 2016 that her mom was the "ultimate role
model." Ivana had a good relationship with her children; her youngest son Eric told Gayle King,
"I have the greatest mom in the world. She's larger than life."
After her mother's death, Ivanka tweeted a poignant tribute, writing,
"Mom was brilliant, charming, passionate and wickedly funny. [...] She lived life
to the fullest — never forgoing an opportunity to laugh and dance."
Ivana became famous as Mrs. Donald Trump, but after their divorce,
she became a celebrity in her own right. The first Mrs. Trump had a hilarious cameo
in the 1996 movie The First Wives Club. In the film, Ivana delivered her famous line,
"Don't get mad, get everything!"
While humorous, Ivana never found humor in Donald's second wife, Marla Maples. Ivana
called Maples the "showgirl" until the end. In an excerpt from Raising Trump, Ivana wrote,
"I'm not saying that if it weren't for the showgirl, Donald and I would still be
together or that my life since our divorce hasn't been a wonderful adventure of love,
travel, success, and laughter. I've had a fabulous life."
Ivana always had her own way of doing things — even in highly structured environments,
like rehab. Guinness heiress Ivana Lowell paid tribute to her friend Ivana Trump by writing a
column about their time in rehab. In an Air Mail essay titled "The Other Ivana," Lowell
shared tales from her time with the late Ivana in a way she would probably love. The Guinness
heiress was surprised to find out there was another Ivana at the Malibu rehab facility
after meeting her. But the two Ivanas became fast friends when the former Mrs. Trump said,
"Darling, you must tell me your story. Come and talk to me."
Lowell spilled that Ivana — who claimed she was there for "exhaustion" – might
not have followed the rehab rules. She allegedly brought her much younger friend Roberto with her,
she never went to a group meeting, and she made everyone call her Maria,
not Ivana. Lowell wrote that Ivana didn't open up at first about why she was in rehab. In time,
however, the former Mrs. Trump eventually spoke up. Lowell wrote in her essay:
"[Ivana spoke at] great length about the abusive marriage she had been in,
how much she had suffered at the hands of this man, and how much she hated him."
There were reports that Donald Trump assaulted Ivana that were later recanted. At the end of her
stay, Ivana took a group of her rehab besties to dinner, even offering champagne to go with
the fancy meal. On her last day at the rehab, Ivana got Lowell a gift — of IVANA perfume.
The stories Ivanka Trump shared at Ivana Trump's funeral showed her love of life,
which even rehab couldn't darken. The New York Times wrote about Ivanka's funeral speech,
describing how Ivana made fun of her for leaving a party at 1 a.m. while
"she had stayed til 4." Ivanka joked that her mother's motto was "flaunt them while you've
got them" and that her mom's reaction after hearing she converted to Orthodox Judaism
to marry Jared Kushner was hilarious. According to Ivanka, her mother quipped,
"Ivanka must really love him if she's willing to give up lobster."
But it wasn't just Ivana's zest for life — some people credit her for helping Donald Trump become
a mogul. In an interview with The Atlantic, former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown said,
"I do think Ivana was hugely important to Donald Trump's rise — she domesticated the
beast socially. Before and after her, you never saw Trump at any top gathering or cultural
opening. She brought him into circles he had ogled from outside and created a glamour aura."
However, Ivana's greatest accomplishment was her children,
and she took credit for raising them. In her book, Raising Trump, she wrote,
"I believe the credit for raising such great kids belongs to me."
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite celebs are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.