Ivana Trump biography

Biography: Ivana Trump chronicles the life of a woman born behind the Iron Curtain in 1949 who grew up to become one of the most celebrated women in America. She was raised and educated in Czechoslovakia, becoming a competitive skier and successful model. After Russian tanks repressed "The Prague Spring" in her homeland, Ivana wanted to leave the country. She arranged to marry a member of the Austrian ski team so she could more easily get a visa to move to Canada. Once there, she was granted a divorce from her "Cold War" marriage and was soon earning $50,000 a year as a model. In the summer of 1976, Ivana's agency sent her to New York. There, she met Donald Trump, a playboy who had his pick of women, but found her irresistible. Biography: Ivana Trump recounts that after a whirlwind romance, Ivana married the man she would call "The Donald" in 1977. The following year, their first child, Donald Jr., was born. Donald made Ivana vice president in charge of interior decorating for the Trump Organization. Her first big assignment was the Grand Hyatt hotel near Grand Central Station. Ivana's mania for perfection and control drove many managers in the hotel crazy. Her hands-on approach was as maddening as it was effective. In 1982, the Trump family expanded to include a daughter Ivanka. In 1987, Donald had taken over the fabled Plaza Hotel. He put Ivana in charge of bringing it back to life. However, soon Ivana found her life falling apart. Donald had a mistress named Marla Maples. Liz Smith broke the news of the impending divorce. Ivana would get a settlement that included the estate in Connecticut worth $18 million and $10 million in cash. Ivana entered her most wildly successful venture in 1993. She sold women's tuxedo suits, priced at $280 on the Home Shopping Network, hauling in $74,000 a minute. Her pitches were soon tallying up to $4 million a month, and Ivana got to keep 50 percent. She later sold the Ivana cosmetics line and launched her own magazine. Ivana continues to be one of the busiest women in the world and, from all accounts, one of the most down to earth-in spite of her wealth and fame.