Bradley Cooper and Russian model Irina Shayk split last summer, but we haven't heard much about the breakup since, or how each of them are doing now. Just before the split, there were so many rumors swirling around the couple, though, and it's hard to imagine that all of the negative attention surrounding their relationship wasn't draining — especially on Irina.
We have no way of knowing exactly what happened — only Bradley and Irina know for sure, but after A Star Is Born hit theaters and stole and broke all of our hearts at the same time, people were actively rooting for Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga to get together in real life. The rumors that Irina and Bradley's relationship was on the rocks kept coming. Then news of the split hit the media, and people felt certain that it was because a relationship with Gaga was forming. That didn't happen, but regardless of the reality of why the couple broke up, it couldn't have been easy to be on the receiving end of all the speculation. For Irina, it had to be unsettling, at the very least to be constantly reading headlines that her boyfriend and father of her child was cheating on her.
The exes have been extremely quiet about the split for months, but now Irina has opened up about her life in a new interview.
After four years as a couple, Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk went their separate ways just last summer. They haven’t publicly bashed one another or made a mockery of the relationship. But we haven’t heard much at all about how each of them have been doing.
For the first time, Irina has opened up about the breakup. In a new interview for British Vogue's March 2020 issue, the model talked about the loss, which had to have been devastating, not only because, well, it's Bradley Cooper we're talking about, but also because the two were together for years and shared a life, as well as a child.
Irina and Bradley starting dating back in 2015. Two years later, they welcomed their daughter, Lea De Seine. Two years after that, their relationship was reported to be over after tons of speculation that Bradley was having affairs or that they were otherwise on the outs.
The media frenzy surrounding them had to be taxing, but in her new interview, Irina doesn't seem bitter. In fact, she doesn't seem to have regrets about the relationship. She talked candidly about how she feels about it now.
“I think in all good relationships you bring your best and your worst — it’s just the nature of a human being,” the 34-year-old explained. “Two great people don’t have to make a good couple.” It seems that much was true of her and the 45-year-old actor and director.
Irina doesn’t play the blame game, though. It would certainly be an easy thing to do, given how much media attention surrounded her and Bradley and the many rumors of affairs. Instead, she comes across as strong and happy to have loved and, ultimately, to have lost.
“I think we’ve been very lucky to experience what we had with each other,” she said. “Life without B is new ground.” That is always true of the end of any relationship. It feels like starting over. Irina seems ready for her new start.
She also took some ownership over whatever happened between the two of them, while also being clear that some people just aren’t a good match — it’s not always a story of heroes and villains. “I have a strong personality and I definitely know what I want, and I think some men are scared of that,” she said. “If somebody’s out of my life, they’re out of my life and I really cut all the ties, you know?”
Cutting ties can be a powerful approach in starting over and truly moving on. Still, the couple do share a daughter together and have to communicate about their child. Hopefully, they will stay committed to that while they mend their hearts and move in their own directions.
As for Irina, it doesn't seem like she is planning to rely on anyone other than herself in the near future, and it doesn't seem like she needs anyone, either. She told Harper's Bazaar last year just how she feels about how sufficient women and mothers are. "Women are the ones who can handle everything,” she said.
It seems like Irina is doing an incredible job of handling her life on her own just fine.
