Ivana Trump's death in July 2022 marked the end of a life that could easily inspire the plot of a Hollywood movie. 

The indomitable Czech-born socialite, who with her ex-husband Donald formed New York's most iconic 80s power couple, may perhaps have been best known for her family connections and outrageous sense of fashion. 

But from working in a factory to being investigated by the FBI, you'll soon see that there's a whole lot more to the iconic Ivana than who she married...

All dollar amounts in US dollars.

Ivana Trump was born Ivana Marie Zelníčková on 20 February 1949, in Zlin, Czechoslovakia (today part of the Czech Republic).

Her father Milos was an electrical engineer, while her mother Marie worked as a telephone operator.

Ivana was a poorly baby and spent the first few months of her life in an incubator. In a bid to tackle her sickliness, Milos decided that his young daughter needed to embrace sports and toughen up with exercise. By the age of two, the toddler Ivana was being taught how to ski and swim by her father.

Happily, Ivana was a natural athlete and was skiing competitively by the time she was six. She was accepted into the national programme at the age of 12 and was competing all over Europe by the time she reached her teens.

She carried on through college and legend has it that she was chosen as a reserve for the Czech team in the 1972 Olympics. However, this was later denied by the Czechoslovak Olympic Committee.

According to HELLO, Ivana was described by her school friends as "clever, pretty, tall, and skinny".

At the age of 13, she was taken out of school and made to work in a shoe factory by her father due to a poor academic performance. This incident was something she would later credit for her drive to succeed.

Recalling it as an adult, she told an interviewer: "After three weeks I begged him to give me another chance at doing well in school. I learned that discipline is necessary to accomplish anything in life."

Ivana carried on her sport-focused education, moving to Prague to study at Charles University. She graduated with a master's degree in physical education in 1972. 

After completing her course, she headed to Toronto, Canada, where she learned to speak English while working as a ski instructor. She then relocated to Montreal, where she launched her fledgling modelling career.

Back in 1971, when still living in Prague, Ivana had married her friend and fellow skiing enthusiast, Alfred Winklmayr.

The pair moved to Canada together, where they stayed for two years. The couple were alleged by The Washington Post to have had a platonic marriage, with the ceremony little more than a necessity to help Ivana’s emigration from what was then communist Czechoslovakia.

The Post also suggested that the couple never actually consummated their marriage or even lived together. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the union was dissolved in 1973 as soon as the statutory period was up.

Beautiful though she was, Ivana was only a model for two years. During her short-lived career, she modelled for the likes of Canadian fashion brand Auckie Sanft and the department store Eaton’s.

Ivana never liked to define herself as a model and in 1975, before she had even set eyes on her famous second husband, she told the Montreal Gazette: "Modelling is a job to me, not a career".

Stories vary about how Ivana and Donald met, but they are thought to have first encountered each other in 1976 when she was on a modelling assignment.

The job was promoting the Montreal Olympic Games in New York and, according to reports, Ivana and a group of models were waiting in a glamorous, overcrowded bar called Maxwell's Plum.

Ivana, then aged 26, recalled that Donald, 29, impressed her by helping her and her friends get a table straight away.

Trump was already a wealthy man by this point, having inherited a $20 million (£16.6m) real estate business from his father Fred, and Ivana was smitten by his charms.

After a whirlwind nine-month courtship, Ivana said "I do" to "The Donald" (as she dubbed him). 

The couple went on to have three children together: Donald Jr. in 1977, daughter Ivanka in 1981, and second son Eric in 1984. In 1998, Ivana became a naturalised US citizen.

Ivana quickly became part of NYC's elite social scene. Donald's knack for accumulating dollars and Ivana's glamour, charm, and love of publicity made for an irresistible combination, and the couple became a permanent fixture of the gossip columns.

Donald made Ivana president of the city's Plaza Hotel following his acquisition of it in 1988 and famously paid her a salary of $1 a year, with as many designer dresses as she wanted thrown in for good measure.

This unorthodox approach to payment might have been pricier than an actual salary, with the arrangement believed to have cost Donald around $500,000 (£415,460) a year.

Ivana also took up a role as the interior design consultant for Trump Tower and the Atlantic City Casino, and was the person behind the former's opulent pink marble and brass aesthetic.

During the course of their marriage, Ivana and Donald were famously extravagant with their cash and managed to acquire a huge property portfolio, including a triplex penthouse in Trump Tower that boasted more than 50 rooms.

In the ultimate display of 1980s decadence, the duo also had their very own Boeing 727.

Ivana's marriage to Donald Trump gave her the freedom to leave modelling behind, but she still adored fashion.

Her new-found fame gave her access to some of the world's top designers, and she became the muse of Thierry Mugler, returning briefly to modelling in 1992 so that she could walk for him during Paris Fashion Week.

And, of course, Ivana had the perfect space for designers to showcase their creations at her fingertips. She organised catwalk shows for the likes of Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera (among others) at Trump Tower.

It was all going so well – until it wasn't. By the end of the 1980s, Ivana and Donald's marital issues were common knowledge and, after months of gossip and accusations, their marriage was formally dissolved by December 1990.

Aspiring actress Marla Maples reportedly admitted to Ivana while skiing in Aspen that she had fallen in love with Donald, which led to the separation two months later.

A year-long legal battle followed, and eventually Ivana divorced Donald on the grounds of "cruel and inhumane treatment". She claimed half of the Trump fortune, not realising that his real estate empire was actually on the brink of bankruptcy at the time.

She is thought to have been on good terms with Donald before she died, but never forgave Marla Maples, once noting: "I would not accept her apology, but I have zero problem with Melania."

Ivana and Donald reached an agreement over finances in 1992. Ivana received $14 million (£11.63m), an apartment in Trump Plaza, a 45-room Greenwich mansion, and access to the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for one month a year.

She was also awarded $650,000 (£540,098) per year in child support payments.

With the settlement agreed, Ivana had the freedom to start over. By 1997, her fashion and fragrance range, House Of Ivana, was valued at $50 million (£41.6m) a year.

Another brand, Ivana Haute Couture, which encompassed everything from costume jewellery to cosmetics, was featured on the Home Shopping Network and the Canadian Shopping Channel.

Ivana also worked with a ghost writer to pen a romantic novel, and released The Best Is Yet To Come, a divorce manual. On top of all that, she launched her very own lifestyle magazine, Ivana's Living In Style.

Just months after her divorce, Ivana met Italian businessman Riccardo Mazzucchelli. Smitten, he gifted her a room filled with roses after their first date and later proposed with an impressive 10-carat diamond engagement ring.

According to People, Ivana rejected his proposal at first but said yes three years later. They married in 1995 but split after less than two years of marriage.

After the split, Ivana sued Mazzucchelli for $15 million (£12.46m), citing a breach of a confidentiality agreement. The couple settled out of court.

Ivana soon met impressively named Ferrari dealer Roffredo Gaetani di Laurenzana dell'Aquila d'Aragona Lovatelli at the Red Cross Ball in Monaco, and the pair dated for several years.

By the late 90s, Ivana had established a separate company called Ivana Inc., which was formed to manage her public appearances and media work.

She appeared in the 1996 comedy The First Wives Club, where she had a cameo role alongside Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, and Bette Midler, and famously uttered the line: "Don't get mad. Get everything."

During the 1990s and 2000s, Ivana was also a popular talk show guest, appearing on shows including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The View, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

In 2006, she starred in her own dating show called Ivana Young Man, and she was also credited as an adviser to Donald on an episode of The Apprentice in 2008.

When the relationship ended with Lovatelli, Ivana started dating on-off beau Rossano Rubicondi, an Italian actor and model who was 23 years her junior.

They married at Mar-A-Lago in April 2008, but by December 2009 Ivana was telling the media that a separation was imminent.

At the time, she claimed the split was down to the couple wanting to live in different cities. However, the couple wasn't quite finished with each other.

They got back together on and off several times over the next decade, even appearing on Dancing with the Stars together in 2018. In 2016, Ivana claimed that she had "several boyfriends" but no desire to remarry.

In 2010, Ivana sued Finnish fashion company Ivana Helsinki, suggesting that designer Paola Ivana Suhonen was infringing her American trademarks by selling women’s clothing that incorporated her name without her permission.

The case was settled out of court in 2011, with the Finnish designer agreeing to change the company's branding for the US market.

After Donald starred in the US version of The Apprentice, Ivana decided she also wanted a piece of the reality TV pie.

In 2010, she charmed the British public when she took part in the UK edition of reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother. She stayed in the contest for almost three weeks, competing against the likes of Stephen Baldwin, Sisqó, and Stephanie Beacham.

Aged 60 at the time, her down-to-earth personality proved a huge hit with viewers. 

In 2011, Ivana launched her own wine range, partnering with Legends Wines to sell a collection of California-produced vino.

The Living Legend Wine Collection was launched in New York in October 2011, and Ivana was accompanied to the launch party by her three children Ivanka, Donald Jr., and Eric.

With her passion for the finer things in life including top-tier art, Ivana loved discovering and supporting the work of up-and-coming artists... not least because there'd invariably be a glitzy party for her to plan.

In April 2013, for example, she helped promote the work of artist Giovanni Perrone by hosting a fabulous NYC exhibition that included some of his pieces.

Along with her companies Ivana, Inc. and Ivana Haute Couture, Ivana had also invested smartly in the real estate market. She further boosted her net worth in 1998 when she bought 33% of Croatia’s second-largest daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija.

At the time, she also claimed to be negotiating deals with a nationwide private TV network and a department store too.

Ivana Trump died in July 2022 aged 73, just nine months after her ex-husband Rossano Rubicondi.

Ivana had apparently been in good health, but is thought to have tripped and fallen on the staircase of her Manhattan townhouse. Her death was ruled an accident by the New York City chief medical examiner.

Her funeral took place less than a week after her death, and was held at an Upper East Side Catholic church.

Her three children were all in attendance, along with ex-husband Donald and his current wife Melania.

Also in attendance were members of the Secret Service, with the Trump connection still casting its influence over her even in death. In keeping with Ivana's signature penchant for bling, her coffin had a golden tone to it, while her 1992 Vanity Fair cover (complete with the headline "Ivana Be A Star!") was used as her funeral portrait.

After Ivana passed away, Donald Trump posted a heartfelt statement via his Truth Social platform to announce the death of his ex-wife. 

"I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City," he wrote. "She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her. Rest In Peace, Ivana!"

However, this was a woman who was fiercely so much more than just the matriarch of the next generation of Trumps. Ivana famously admonished a reporter from The New York Times in 1995, declaring: "You don’t have to put down the second name. Ivana is what the people call me." 

At the time of her death, reports claimed that Ivana Trump's net worth was around $100 million (£83m). According to Forbes, however, probate documents have shown that Ivana had $34 million (£27.8m) in assets when she died aged 73. Of this, her estate will owe approximately $8.7 million (£7.1m) in federal taxes: the Internal Revenue Service can claim up to 40% of any inheritance over $12 million (£9.8m).

Unsurprisingly, the main beneficiaries of Ivana's will are her three children with Donald Trump: Donald Jr, Ivanka, and Eric. She left them the proceeds of her New York townhouse, which will be split between the three of them when it's sold. The house, located a short walk from Central Park, is currently on the market for $26.5 million (£21.7m), Forbes reports.

The will states that Eric, who is pictured here with his mother at her New York townhouse in 2011, is responsible for managing the dissolution of Ivana's estate.

Her children will also receive the proceeds from the sale of Ivana's furs, although the rest of her wardrobe will be donated to the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

During her life, Ivana was a long-term supporter of charities including the Big Dog Ranch Rescue, a non-profit organisation that aims to reduce the number of stray dogs on the streets. Instead of flowers, guests at Ivana's funeral were invited to make donations to the charity, which released a statement saying that the businesswoman "was philanthropically involved with many charities throughout her entire life, but always remained steadfast and passionate in her love for animals".

And Ivana certainly loved her own dog, as evidenced by the legacy that she left to former nanny Dorothy Curry. In her 2017 book Raising Trump, Ivana described Curry – who joined the family as a nanny to the three Trump children and became a "second mother" to them, according to Eric – as having "a sparkle in her eye and plenty of nervous energy". The pair apparently became close friends, with Curry later working for Ivana as her personal assistant. The late Ivana has left Curry a condo worth over $1 million (£816.9k) and her Yorkshire terrier Tiger Trump.

Although Ivana's marriage to Rossano Rubicondi lasted for less than a year, the pair's on-off relationship lasted for around 20 years, with Ivana reportedly caring for her ex-husband in his final illness before he died in 2021. Her will, which hadn't been updated after Rubicondi's death, stated that he should receive one of her properties in St. Tropez. 

The couple is pictured here in 2003.

But another of Ivana's ex-husbands was notably absent from her will. Although Ivana and Donald reportedly remained on good terms, recent testimonies have suggested that she resented his political prominence, which could explain why she chose not to leave him any of her assets.

According to fashion designer Marc Bouwer, a close friend of Ivana's who spoke to Vanity Fair about her relationship with Donald, the former Mrs Trump said her reputation changed irrevocably after her ex-husband entered the White House: "Everywhere I go they say things and they shout things at me! It's not my fault. I am not him! I divorced him a long time ago. I do not deserve this!" 

Ivana's death didn't spell an end to the drama surrounding her life. Following a freedom of information request from Bloomberg News, it's been revealed that the late socialite and businesswoman was under investigation by the FBI. 

According to 190 pages of secret documents released by the Bureau on 28 March, the FBI had "recommended a preliminary inquiry be opened on Ivana Trump" to look into her possible ties to her home country of Czechoslovakia. The documents date from 1989, when Czechoslovakia was a communist state. 

The investigation was launched after an anonymous source came forward to the FBI. It's unclear what claims the source made, but the FBI's records concede that any allegations may simply have "stem[med] from jealousies of her wealth and fame".

So is there another side to the Ivana story? We may never know...

Now find out more about the children of Ivana and Donald Trump