Inside Irina Shayk And Bradley Cooper's Relationship
We don't know about you, but some celebrity couples live in our head rent-free. A few of them are not even together anymore, but thanks to social media algorithms, a generous serving of throwback posts reminds us of some of the most iconic entertainment couplings of both today and yesteryear. (Listen, Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly can get as freaky as they want, but Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie are arguably the undefeated royals of an unorthodox romance.) One of such memorable pairing was that of Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper.
For over four years, all eyes were on Shayk and Cooper as they went from packing on the PDA to starting a family to ultimately parting ways in 2019, all while mostly keeping their business to themselves. Even after the Russian model and the Oscar-nominated actor-director moved on with their lives, they were still making headlines. As with every beloved Hollywood couple, speculations a plenty were made about what might have been the real reason for Shayk and Cooper's front-page breakup, and some fans — those who ship them and otherwise — have come up with all sorts of theories.
In any case, we are still very much invested in this former couple — and although they've remained more low-key than the world might like them to be, there have been times when they gave us a rare glimpse into what their romance was like. Let's take a look inside Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper's relationship and where these two stand today.
How Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper hit it off
Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk's romance was something that no one really saw coming. One day, we were simultaneously reeling from Shayk's breakup with soccer royalty Christiano Ronaldo after five years together, as well as Cooper and model Suki Waterhouse calling off their two-year relationship, and it seemed that the next thing we knew, Shayk and Cooper were seen together on what appeared to be a date: in April 2015, the model and the "American Hustle" star enjoyed a Broadway performance of "Finding Neverland" together. Sources cited by Page Six explained that the twosome had been running in the same circle for some time and described their connection as merely "friendly." However, their hangouts started to become more frequent.
A few days later, Shayk and Cooper attended a White House Correspondents' Dinner afterparty, where the onlookers reportedly couldn't help but notice the palpable chemistry between them. By May, Hola! magazine (via Hello!) released the first paparazzi photos of the two together, walking around New York City with their arms wrapped around one another. The hot new couple had been dominating the tabloids for weeks when they were apparently seen locking lips at Rihanna's Met Gala afterparty that same month — with reports of the duo packing on the PDA, it became pretty clear that they were officially in a relationship.
While Shayk and Cooper never personally revealed their relationship beginnings, things seemed to get more serious when Cooper moved into his girlfriend's NYC apartment that November.
They were a notoriously private Hollywood couple
Although stans probably would have loved to get every scoop on their romance, Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper shared in common the need for privacy in their relationship. Following their public debut in 2015, the duo continued to keep things on the down-low throughout their time together — they even skipped the celebrity-tastic rite of passage of going Instagram official! As frustrating as that may have been for some fans, Shayk and Cooper had some pretty good reasons for their ongoing secrecy.
"I have a lot of friends who share a lot of their personal life on Instagram or social media, very publicly," Shayk explained in a 2019 interview with Glamour on why she rarely shares details of her private affairs. "I admire it and I think it's great — but I think it's all about personal choice. Because my work requires me to be out there, I just decided my personal life will be quiet." Hey, fair enough.
Cooper has similarly been candid about wanting to keep some things to himself, telling Howard Stern in 2017 (via PopCulture), "I just don't talk about certain things." The "Silver Linings Playbook” actor then sarcastically responded to the shock jock's confusion on why stars wouldn't want to show off their significant others at red-carpet events: "You're right, it's so great to take someone you're with to a place where a hundred people are going to photograph you every step you make and ask you tons of questions, and then rip it apart the next day."
Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper share a daughter
When Irina Shayk strutted down the runway at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Paris in November 2016, no one would have guessed that beneath her maroon lace lingerie, she was hiding a baby bump. In fact, she hid it so well that even her fellow models were reportedly unaware of her pregnancy. "No one suspected backstage, that's for sure! She looked as beautiful as ever," a source cited by People later claimed.
For their part, Shayk and Bradley Cooper were reportedly over the moon to become parents. "Irina is feeling wonderful. She is so happy," another insider told E! News. "Bradley and her can't wait for their baby to arrive." On March 21, 2017, the couple welcomed a baby girl named Lea De Seine Shayk Cooper. Cute family trips with their little bundle of joy followed. For example, the new mom-and-dad duo were spotted at a pumpkin patch tour with their then-five-month-old daughter that October.
Cooper may often remain mum on his romances, but he has opened up about fatherhood, revealing to NPR the ways in which he has found the experience to be quite rewarding: "So I guess having a child and having a family of my own — which is a miracle and something I've always dreamt of — has opened me up, even more, I guess, to the day, and to be present."
And they make co-parenting look easy
Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper's romance might have come to an end, but the way they've reportedly always put their daughter first is admirable. The former couple share joint custody of Lea, and their co-parenting situation has seemingly remained drama-free — apparently without even officially writing the agreement up. Per TMZ, following their 2019 breakup, Shayk and Cooper both reportedly decided to reside in New York City for a smooth-sailing partnership.
All that said, Shayk is admittedly not a big fan of the term co-parenting. "I always say, 'What is co-parenting?' Co-parenting people say, 'Oh, you know, it's 50/50,'" she told British Vogue in 2021. However, in her opinion, she is a 100% mom, and Cooper is a 100% percent dad. And while she realizes that being a single mom can be "a little scary," she also knows that she's got things under control, adding, "I've never had a male figure who came into my life and took care of me. Never." The model emphasized this point in an interview with Elle. Calling her ex "the most amazing dad," Shayk simply said, "Co-parenting is parenting."
So, what does this parenting situation look like? According to a source cited by E! News in 2020, the "always extremely cordial" exes prioritize communication, share solo time with their daughter, and are sometimes even spotted out lunching in the city as a family of three. "It's still a transition period," an insider explained. "And they are trying to figure out how it's going to work going forward, but they are in a good place."
Bradley Cooper, Irina Shayk, and those engagement rumors
Shortly after the news of her pregnancy broke in late 2016, Irina Shayk was spotted wearing a stunning emerald sparkler lined tiny diamonds on her left hand's ring finger (pictured above), per People, while making her way out of a spa in Los Angeles. Given her and Bradley Cooper's tendency of keeping the world guessing, rumors about a potential engagement started to circulate. Some outlets even compared her new bling to the Duchess of Cambridge's sapphire engagement ring.
Neither Shayk nor Cooper confirmed the engagement rumors. But with a baby on the way, it certainly seemed like a natural step for the pair to think about leveling up. Not to mention, Shayk had already met Cooper's mother, Gloria Campano, in September 2015, according to Us Weekly — so things already seemed pretty serious early on in their relationship. Shortly before their breakup four years later, the model was spotted without the headline-making ring while out and about. While Marie Claire rightly pointed out that Shayk didn't exactly wear the ring all the time, the move further pushed rumors that there was trouble in paradise, and Shayk and Cooper announced their split soon after.
So, was it actually an engagement ring? We'll probably never really know.
Lady Gaga had nothing to do with their breakup
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga played lovers in his remake of "A Star Is Born" — but they have always maintained that their sizzling chemistry was limited to the screen. The duo had an undeniably strong bond, and after the movie was released in September 2018, rumors of an illicit affair were born. Some fans were so convinced that they were romantically involved that when Cooper and Irina Shayk broke up the following June, it was believed that new love with the Mother Monster was on the actor-director's horizon. This turned out to be false, but let's back up a bit.
Speculation really began amid the seemingly endless sea of compliments the co-stars had for one another on the promotional trail, paired with their passionate duet of "Shallow" at the 2019 Oscars. While the latter in particular looked like a telltale sign of a real spark to many in the Twittersphere, their onstage chemistry had actually been purposefully mapped out. "I mean, we made a love story. For me, as a performer and as an actress, of course, we wanted people to believe that we were in love," Gaga explained to Elle.
Cooper made similar comments about their intimate performance, telling The Hollywood Reporter: "[Our characters] kind of fall in love in that scene in the film. It's that explosive moment that happens to happen to them on a stage in front of thousands of people. ... It would have been so weird if we were both on stools facing the audience."
Did Bradley Cooper's busy schedule test their relationship?
The "Bad Romance" hitmaker might not have been the reason why Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper called things off, but their four-year relationship was reportedly affected by the actor's hectic schedule. In October 2018, sources cited by Page Six claimed that the couple had been "miserable together" for some time, adding, "He doesn't drink and is into spirituality. She wants to go out." While another insider alleged that they looked unhappy during a dinner date, a third essentially called these trouble-in-paradise rumors hogwash.
But despite their continual red-carpet appearances, a cheery Disneyland family vacation, and reports about Cooper getting to spend more time with family following the 2018-2019 awards season, Shayk and her man were reportedly struggling to make things work — allegedly holding it together for the sake of daughter Lea. "Things are not good," another source claimed to Page Six in early June 2019. "Neither one is happy. The relationship is hanging by a thread." Echoing this sentiment, yet another insider alleged to E! News that Shayk and Cooper had been "questioning whether being a couple is what's best" and even "spent time apart to test the waters and see if they are better off."
Finally, within a matter of days of these reports, People confirmed that the couple had indeed decided to part ways for good. At the time of this writing, neither Shayk nor Cooper have publicly commented on what went down during their seemingly mutual breakup.
They have maintained a friendly relationship
Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper are not only the apparent masters of amicable co-parenting, but they also seem to know how to keep things friendly and cool post-breakup. Even after their headline-making 2019 split, the pair have continued to make an effort to keep their relationship private. However, they rarely shy away from publicly supporting each other. For example, Shayk attended the December 2021 premiere of Guillermo del Toro's remake of the psychological thriller "Nightmare Alley." Cooper, who starred in the flick, greatly appreciated her presence, telling ET, "It's very special." Aww. A month before the event, the all-smiles duo was even seen walking with linked arms in New York City.
The former lovebirds also spent some time together at the Met Gala the following May, arriving separately but looking all dapper and glammed up while posing alongside the likes of Nicki Minaj and Burberry designer Riccardo Tisci. The sweet picture even made it to Shayk's Instagram, and several fans were quick to flood the comments section to show their support. "I have only eyes for you and Bradley," one person wrote, while another asked, "Can you and Bradley please get back together."
Who knows whether a reunion is in the cards for these two? But they do seem to be in a healthy place after calling it quits. "Two great people don't have to make a good couple," Shayk told British Vogue in a rare comment on their former romance. "I think we've been very lucky to experience what we had with each other. Life without B is new ground."
Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper's lives after the romance ended
Bradley Cooper has seemingly been living the single life after splitting from Irina Shayk, instead mostly focusing on his career and co-parenting daughter Lea. As for the Russian model, she was briefly romantically linked with Kanye West following his divorce from Kim Kardashian.
It turns out Shayk and West share a long history: In addition to being featured in his "Power" music video in 2010, she's also walked the runway at Yeezy fashion shows, per People. In June 2021, the outlet reported that the two had been spotted hanging out together in France to ring in the rapper's 44th birthday, with a source claiming that Shayk "happily accepted" West's invitation. "She seems smitten," the insider added. "... They are not officially dating but there is an interest from both sides." Multiple reports from ET confirmed this point, with another source revealing to the outlet that July, "Irina isn't looking for anything serious right now and is enjoying being single."
As for what Cooper thought about their potential romance, which ultimately ended in August 2021, another insider told Us Weekly that he was "fully supportive" of his ex's romantic choices, adding, "He just wants her to be happy." Presumably, we imagine Shayk would feel the same way should Cooper hit the dating scene anytime soon. That's not to say these two haven't been subjected to the occasional reconciliation rumor. But as an insider simply told the Daily Mail that November, "They are a very close family. But they are not officially back together."