Bradley Cooper Opens Up About Parenting Daughter Lea Amid Dating Gigi Hadid

Bradley Cooper Opens Up About Parenting Daughter Lea Amid Dating Gigi Hadid

Article updated on 29/02/24: Bradley Cooper has opened up about co-parenting his six-year-old daughter Lea with his ex Irina Shayk, admitting that he doesn't think he'd 'be alive' if he wasn't a father.

In an interview with Armchair Expert podcast host Dax Shepard, the Maestro director discussed becoming a parent and how it's changed his life.

'Honestly, I'm not sure I'd be alive if I wasn't a dad,' said Cooper, who has previously opened up about his struggles with addiction. 'I just needed someone to say, "We're gonna drop this massive anchor," and I'm like, "Why? We're speeding. We just got an upgrade on the boat and I know where the wind is coming in." And they're like, "No, there's a tsunami coming and you need an anchor and we're gonna drop it. This is going to dictate everything you do from now on."'

Discussing his daughter, the Oscar-nominated actor, who is currently dating model Gigi Hadid, noted: 'I want her to have as much foundation as she can. I think about how my relationship with my daughter impacts her growth and the journey she's gonna be on.'

irina shayk and bradley cooper
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin - Getty Images

Article updated on 09/11/23: Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper are co-parenting in the best way.

The model, had glowing things to say about the actor as a parent in her ELLE US cover story interview. Shayk, explained that both her and Cooper came from 'normal backgrounds,' and want to give Lea as normal a childhood as possible.

Despite both of them focusing on their careers—modeling for Shayk and acting for Cooper—which can require travel, their co-parenting relationship with 6-year-old daughter Lea de Seine, at the centre, is still going strong. Neither employs a nanny, both are based in New York City, and they walk Lea to school.

Even with their busy schedules, 'we always find a way,' Shayk said in the November 2023 interview. She opted not to share too much more about their relationship, but offered this praise of Cooper: 'He’s the best father Lea and I could dream of. It always works, but it always works because we make it work.'


Article updated on 08/11/22: Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper might have broken up in June 2019, but it seems their admirers are pretty convinced they might be an item again. Earlier this week the pair sparked dating rumours again when they were photographed smiling and being affectionate with each other during a walk in New York City together.

While the Daily Mail reported that the couple 'confirmed' they'd rekindled their love and several publications have stated that their walk was 'PDA-filled', it's worth noting that affection isn't exactly a confirmation of a romance, and neither of them have commented on their relationship. Also, let's not forget that the pair have seemingly created a strong co-parenting relationship while raising their daughter Lea together, and friends are allowed to be loving towards each other without romantic feelings being involved.

ELLE US reports the pair were 'a little handsy in photos' of the walk, with Cooper wrapping an arm around his ex, and the model placing her hand on Cooper's bottom in one photo (which you can see here).

The pair have also been seen attending the same event together - albeit arriving separately - in recent weeks, including the CFDA Awards earlier this week.


Article updated on 30/08/22: Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper may no longer date, but they certainly known how to enjoy a holiday together.

Over the weekend the model shared a series of images on Instagram from a recent holiday to the Bahamas with her ex and the father to her daughter, Lea.

In the snaps Shayk is seen lying on a beach in a multicoloured bikini next to a pig, and in another she poses alongside Cooper. In the latter, the model wore a blue and pink floral bikini, styled with a midi skirt, while the actor wore black swimming shorts.

Shayk captioned the images with a red heart emoji.

Despite having parted ways in 2019 after four years together, the pair have remained friends and have been seen on several occasions over the years walking around New York City together.


Article updated on 16/11/21: After potentially spending Halloween together (more on that story below...) Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk were spotted looking particularly cosy on a stroll around New York.

In photos shared on the Twitter account @bestgug pair linked arms as they walked around the West Village, while Cooper grinned - we can only guess that Shayk was smiling too, behind her mask.

Earlier this year, Shayk was linked to Kanye West - but if these photos are anything to go by, a reconciliation with Cooper could be on the cards.

Watch this space...



Article updated on 02/11/21: Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper's fans are convinced the pair spent Halloween together, and it's not hard to see why.

Over the weekend the model shared several photos of herself dressed up on Instagram in an all-black ensemble. In one snap the star is seen sat next to a person dressed up as a gorilla, which many fans believe is Cooper as a result of the individual's striking blue eyes.

In another photo it seems the pair have gone out trick-or-treating.

'Is that Bradley Cooper?' one fan commented on the post.

Another added: 'Omg Bradley!!!! [sic]'

One more added: 'Oh hey Bradley!'

Fans believe Cooper wore an identical gorilla costume for Halloween when the pair were an item back in 2017. The exes split two years later.



Original article published on 03/03/21: Though the term 'co-parenting' has become a commonly used phrase in the dialogue of celebrity break-ups, one A-lister who seemingly isn't on board with the term is Irina Shayk.

The model is mother to three-year-old daughter Lea, with her ex-boyfriend actor Bradley Cooper. The couple dated for four years from 2015 to 2019, when reports surfaced claiming the couple were going their separate ways but would be sharing custody of their child.

Now, 18 months on, with the former couple appearing to be very friendly exes, having been photographed together at a party in February 2020 and hugging on an NYC street, Shayk suggests that their relationship is so amicable that she rejects the term and implications of the word 'co-parenting' when it comes to separated partners raising a child together.

'I never understood the term co-parenting,' she tells ELLE US. 'When I’m with my daughter, I’m 100% a mother, and when she’s with her dad, he’s 100% her dad. Co-parenting is parenting.'

In the interview, Shayk refers to Cooper as an 'amazing dad', but is seemingly reluctant to talk about their relationship or break-up further telling the outlet: 'My past relationship, it’s something that belongs to me, and it’s private. It’s just a piece of my inner self that I don’t want to give away.'

irina shayk bradley cooper coparenting
The former couple in 2018Raymond Hall - Getty Images

The Russian model also said she doesn't pay attention to when tabloids and outlets try to dissect her relationships or personal life, explaining simply: 'I don’t read what is out there. Honestly, I’m too busy raising a child. If they want to write articles [about me], they’re doing their job. I’m concentrating on my life and my friends. The rest is just noise.'


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