The Untold Truth Of Irina Shayk
In 2011, Irina Shayk made history as the first Russian model to grace the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. With her objectively striking looks and a staunch dedication to her job, it is hardly a surprise that Shayk has found a great deal of success in the modeling world through the years. And even though the supermodel now boasts an impressive net worth, for her, the highlight of walking runways and appearing on some of the world's biggest magazines is the experiences she has garnered. "The highlights of my career have been life experiences, traveling, growing, and learning," Shayk admitted to The Daily Front Row.
Still, there is no downplaying how much of her impressive career has come from a tenacious work ethic. "I think success is the result of very hard work and ... success doesn't come easy. You have to work really hard for success," Shayk said in a 2014 interview with the Arab Times. But beyond the charming smile, the luxurious life, and a never-ending sense of humor, there is a lot more to know about Irina Shayk. Sit tight, there's a lot to unpack.
Irina Shayk had humble beginnings
Now a fixture of the celebrity scene, Irina Shayk's life hasn't always been glitz and glamor. Born to a coal miner father and a mother who worked as a piano teacher, Shayk was raised in a small town in Russia — so small, in fact, the model has said that it's apparently rather difficult to locate. "Yemanzhelinsk is a very small coal-mining village," Shayk told Esquire in 2012. "There's nothing there, only coal mining. It's not on any maps. We didn't even have a movie theater."
In Shayk's early teens, her father died, leaving the family a little worse off than they already were financially. "I lost my father when I was 14," she revealed to Vogue. "He was the healthiest man alive, and at 44, out of the blue, he was coughing for a while then got pneumonia and died." But as bad as things were, Shayk, alongside her mom and sister, managed to get by. Of course, their hardships would be a thing of the past when the modeling world came calling.
While attending beauty school with her older sister, Shayk was scouted for modeling. And even though she initially held back, she eventually agreed to give it a trial. "After a couple of months, I said yes; I thought it might be a great opportunity to help my family," she said to The Telegraph.
Irina Shayk was in a beauty pageant in her home country
While debating whether or not to go into modeling, Irina Shayk was also debating another thing: a beauty pageant. "He asked me to do the competition for Miss Chelyabinsk. And I end up winning it!" Shayk told Esquire of her agent. Following her win, Shayk was asked to fly to Paris, but she almost pulled a Lauren Conrad. "When I won the [Miss Chelyabinsk] competition they told me, 'You go to Paris.' I say no, I would not. Because first of all, I want to finish my education," she recalled to the outlet.
Shayk, however, of course, eventually agreed to the offer and the rest they say is history. "[The first trip to Paris] was the most beautiful time I've ever had," she gushed to Vogue. "I'd known about the world existing out there, but it was my first stop from Russia."
As for how her sister might have felt about her winning Miss Chelyabinsk, Shayk told Esquire that it wasn't much of an issue. According to Shayk, her sibling not only wasn't interested in competing, but that there wasn't any sort of competition between the two.
Irina Shayk would rather live a simple life
When you've walked the runway for some of the world's biggest fashion brands, media and public attention is non-negotiable, and to an extent, Irina Shayk understands this element. The supermodel, however, also has grown a thick skin to public opinion and media commentaries about her life. "My friends and family know who I am. I'm not mad at anybody; they're writing something because it's their job. I'm just doing my job," Shayk told The Telegraph back in 2015. In a separate chat with Vogue, she shared that she's made a point to keep her circle small. "I don't have a lot of friends; I don't open doors to many people in my life because I'm very protective of my space," she said. "But one thing I never lost is a sense of humour."
Understandably, Shayk has very little interest in further complicating her life behind closed doors. When she is not shooting or walking the runway, you will most likely catch the supermodel in the coziest and simplest of clothes. "I prefer to buy classic pieces that you can have in your closet for years," Shayk explained to The Telegraph. "My style is very simple; I try to be low-key. I can spend my day in sweat pants or gym clothes. When I'm not working I don't like to dress up; I hate [doing my] hair and make-up — it's kind of boring."
Irina Shayk plays a musical instrument
It is not uncommon to find out that some of our favorite celebrities have hidden talents, and Irina Shayk happens to be one such celebrity. Growing up as the daughter of a piano teacher, Shayk picked up some music skills. "I started playing piano age six," she revealed to Esquire in 2012. "I was also singing in the choir, so my mum put me into music school. I went to study there for seven years, but it was not my passion."
But despite not having the will to pursue her interest in music, Shayk pretty much still knows how to hold a note — at least, when it comes to tickling the ivories. "But I can still play piano," she proudly told the publication. "I like Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. You need a lot of practice to play that." Alas, as she shared with W in 2019, she didn't have a piano of her own to practice on. "I can still read notes, so I could probably still play, but it requires a lot of training and rehearsing," she said.
Let us also add here that Shayk in fact considered studied marketing before she became a full-time model. Suffice to say, she contains multitudes.
She wants to act again
After years of racking up modeling credits, Irina Shayk has stretched her prowess into the acting scene. Per IMDb, the supermodel made her acting debut in 2014, starring as Megara, the wife of the titular character in the action fantasy film "Hercules." With no prior acting experience, Shayk worked alongside some of Hollywood's biggest stars including Dwayne Johnson and John Hurt. As it was her first gig, easing into her role was not the easiest thing for the model. "I was the only model on set and those guys, they act for a living," Shayk told Independent.ie. "I make pictures for a living, and then they put me on a movie set so of course, I was nervous."
Regardless, Shayk enjoyed every bit of it and would like to try it some more. "I love fashion, and I love to be a model, but definitely I enjoyed making this movie and I would like to act again," she said to Vogue in 2014. And what type of role is she dreaming of landing in the future? A Russian Spy. Per Page Six, Shayk's late grandmother worked as a spy during World War II, so yeah, this supermodel is only just trying to carry on the legacy — but on screen, of course.
Irina Shayk is heavy on philanthropy
Coming from a humble background had a lasting impact on Irina Shayk. It is therefore no surprise that the supermodel constantly finds ways to give back to society. As the New York Post reported in 2010, Shayk and her sister pitched in with the rebuilding of the children's ward of a local hospital back in Russia and have worked with a charity called Pomogi.org. "Growing up, we didn't have any money," Shayk said in an interview with the outlet. "My mother worked two jobs. What if I had gotten sick and I couldn't pay for anything."
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Shayk was heavily involved in relief efforts via her affiliation with the New York City Food Bank. She's used her massive platform to get the word about the organization's efforts out to her millions of followers, and she's been spotted volunteering. And as People noted, Shayk was among the many celebrities present at the annual amfAR Cinema Against AIDS Gala hosted by the Cannes Film Festival to raise funds towards the cure of AIDS.
The rumors surrounding her split from Cristiano Ronaldo
Irina Shayk met former Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo in 2010 while on set of an ad for luxury brand Armani. Shayk and Ronaldo dated for nearly five years before eventually calling it quits. "We can confirm Irina Shayk has ended her relationship to Cristiano Ronaldo," a representative of the model told Page Six. But even though Shayk and Ronaldo had a relatively private relationship, their split took a different approach.
Following the couple's breakup, rumors started swirling that Shayk had not been getting along with Ronaldo's mother. This however turned out to be untrue as a source close to Shayk confirmed to Us Weekly, "She has been close with his family throughout the course of their relationship."
Later that year, Shayk sparked infidelity rumors on Ronaldo's part after revealing the type of man she would like to date next. "It's very simple," the Russian beauty told Hola! (via E! News). "You have to be faithful to your other half and not have secrets. That's my rule." Now, neither Ronaldo nor Shayk have confirmed what really caused their breakup, they have since moved on to new relationships and let's just say that with these two, the past is in the past.
She was protective of her relationship with Bradley Cooper
Only a few months after her very public split from Cristiano Ronaldo, Irina Shayk moved on with actor Bradley Cooper. Per Us Weekly, the stars first sparked dating rumors in April 2015 after attending a Broadway show together in New York. Barely one month later, Shayk and Cooper seemingly confirmed their relationship with a smooch on the streets of London. "They've known each other for a while," a source told Us Weekly. "They have a good time together."
Pretty soon, things between Shayk and Cooper went beyond just having a "good time" as they welcomed daughter Lea de Seine Shayk Cooper in March 2017. Still, the two stars were notoriously private about their life together. "Because my work requires me to be out there, I just decided my personal life will be quiet," the supermodel told Glamour in 2019. "That's why it's called personal, because it's something for you and your family, and I feel happy with it."
And even though the famous couple ended their relationship in June 2019, Shayk continues to remain just as protective of what she shared with the actor. "My past relationship, it's something that belongs to me, and it's private," she said in a March 2021 interview with Elle. "It's just a piece of my inner self that I don't want to give away."
She has been linked to many more famous men
Yes, she was with Cristiano Ronaldo. And yes, she dated Bradley Cooper right after. But these are not the only famous men Irina Shayk has been linked to through the years. In April 2020, nearly one year after her split from Cooper, Shayk was spotted out in New York City with famous art dealer Vito Schnabel, with Us Weekly confirming at the time, a potential romance was brewing. "Vito has always been interested in Irina," the source revealed. "Vito is a very social person who likes to go out and have fun." Neither Shayk nor Schnabel have however confirmed whether or not they actually took things to the next level and given the model's privacy policy, we just might never know.
Similarly, in 2021, Shayk sparked dating rumors with rapper Kanye West a few months after his ex wife, Kim Kardashian filed for divorce. Kanye and Irina [are] dating," a source exclusively told Us Weekly. "They've been quietly seeing each other for a couple months." The romance was short-lived, however, as People confirmed in August 2021 that the two were done. "It was never a serious thing that took off," an insider revealed to the outlet.
Per The Sun, Shayk previously dated Italian businessman Valerio Morabito, drummer Rob Bourdon, and Brazilian model Arthur Sales in the early years of her career.
Irina Shayk has an impressive net worth
Arguably one of the most successful models of her time, Irina Shayk has garnered a rather impressive net worth over the years. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the supermodel is worth a whopping $25 million — most of it coming from her modeling gigs and endorsement deals. Since first working with her first major brand, Intimissimi, in 2007, Shayk has walked the runway and appeared in ads for some of the world's biggest brands including Versace, Givenchy, Burberry and Marc Jacobs. In addition, Shayk has seemingly extended her reach to the beauty industry, having been appointed a spokesperson for L'Oréal in 2015, per Vogue.
Of course, with her wealth, Shayk, like many other celebrities, invests in real estate. In 2010, the supermodel bought a condo in the West Village for $1.96 million. Five years later, Shayk put up that same unit for sale at $3.99 million, according to the Observer. A few months after, Shayk was back in the market searching for a new property and this time she settled for a $6.08 million condo, per New York Post. As reported by the Observer, she initially rented it out for $20,000 a month, in December 2021, Shayk put it up for sale at $8.2 million. Now, talk about a girl that knows her coins.
Motherhood is her 'biggest' achievement
She might be drop dead gorgeous, might be super rich, and might have rubbed shoulders with some of Hollywood's biggest stars, but to Irina Shayk, none of this compares to motherhood. "I always say that being a mom is one of the greatest things in the world," Shayk told W in 2019. "I don't think it's changed my life. It did change in a way to make me better. Family is the most important thing in the world."
But even though Shayk believes motherhood is the best thing to ever happen to her, she constantly makes an effort to not lose herself. "You have to be really truly yourself for your kids, otherwise you're living in a lie," the model explained to Harper's Bazaar. This of course extends to her style because for Shayk, there is simply no such thing as "mom dress code." And as for whether she finds it difficult creating a balance between her demanding career and being a mother, the answer is no. "There is no real challenge," she says. "I really believe if you love something, you can prioritize your time. [Motherhood] is just an addition to your life." Okay, we sure can take a page out of this woman's book because in case it's not as obvious, Irina Shayk has life on lock.