The Real Reasons Bradley Cooper And Irina Shayk Broke Up

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk have called it quits after four unfairly beautiful years together. The couple was first linked publicly in April 2015 when they were spotted attending a Broadway show together, with Page Six reporting they'd met through mutual pals. A source told Us Weekly of the pairing, "Irina is smart and mature. They have a great connection. Bradley needs a girl who can keep up with him."

By December 2016, Shayk and Cooper sparked engagement rumors when the stunner was spotted with a massive diamond and emerald sparkler on her all-important finger. In March 2017, Cooper and Shayk welcomed a daughter, Lea de Seine. Two years later, the 33-year-old supermodel and 44-year-old Oscar nominee are dunzo, and are currently working out a custody arrangement for their little girl, according to People. While it's unclear whether Cooper and Shayk were ever officially engaged, Shayk's giant rock has noticeably been missing since the split was first reported.

Where did this gorgeous couple go wrong? Here are a few theories as to why Shayk and Cooper's love story has come to an end.

Sources told E! News that Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper's romance was quite hot and cold, with a lot of fighting and making up, then fighting again. An insider revealed that the couple struggled to stick it out each time it got messy, noting, "Things get a little bit better but then they find themselves back in the same place of questioning whether being a couple is what's best. They want to stay together for their daughter, but neither of them are very happy." The insider added that they took a break before splitting for good, explaining, "They have a lot invested and it's very difficult to completely walk away from."

A source told Page Six that Shayk and Cooper actually broke up and reconciled several times before calling it quits for good and alleged that they'd been "miserable" for months before finally calling it quits. Their issues may have gone even further back from that: In July 2016, Shayk and Cooper were caught on camera in the stands at Wimbledon appearing to have a tiff. Shayk even appeared to be crying, which a source later claimed was just a reaction to "hay fever" — but you may want to look at the footage and judge for yourself.

Well, that was quick. The day Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk's split first officially made headlines, paparazzi snapped the brunette beauty leaving the home she once shared with Cooper with luggage in tow — Okay, fine it was just one piece of luggage. However, The Sun previously reported that Shayk had officially moved out of Cooper's Pacific Palisades, Calif., mansion, with an insider saying that their relationship had been in a bad place "for months" before she left.

Even before Shayk started packing, however, she and Cooper were rarely in the same place at the same time because of professional commitments. A source told People after the couple split, "[Irina is] not focused on the celebrity part, or on the fame—she just wants to protect her family. Bradley is very into work and is trying to take advantage of every career opportunity right now. They spent a lot of time apart." Another source told the outlet that the pair "lived totally separate lives" and were almost never in the same city at the same time.

Some insiders claim that Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper may have wanted to break up sooner, but they kept a happy couple-front going to get him through awards season for A Star Is Born (2018). A source told Entertainment Tonight that the couple struggled while Cooper was filming the movie, which he starred in, produced, directed and wrote, and that the press tour for the film only made things worse for his relationship with Shayk. 

"Their troubles have been going on for quite some time and they even considered splitting during the release of the movie," the source said. "They talked things through a great deal and seemed to hold off and keep up appearances for the time being. It was recommended they delay a split at what seemed to be the peak of his career because the negative attention would take away from the excitement of the release." 

Indeed, Shayk was on hand for many events with Cooper to promote A Star Is Born, including the Oscars and the Golden Globes.

Part of Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper's tensions in their relationship may have come from the fact that despite parading around together while he campaigned for A Star Is Born (2018), Shayk much preferred to keep her private life very private. She explained to Glamour U.K. in February 2019 that despite the occasional red carpet appearance with Cooper, she'd rather keep her love life under wraps. "I have a lot of friends who share a lot of their personal life on Instagram or social media, very publicly. I admire it and I think it's great," she said. "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. That's why it's called 'personal,' because it's something for you and your family, and I feel happy with it."

Their public behavior seemed to be in line with Shayk's preference ... for a time. They became Instagram official — without their faces visible — in April 2016, which was one month after their first official red carpet together at a Paris Fashion Week party. Following that, they were rarely seen at high-profile events for a few years until they appeared at the Met Gala together in May 2018 — a month before the trailer for A Star Is Born (2018) dropped.

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk's problems likely stemmed from the fact that they simply had very different visions for their lives and didn't have a deep connection, sources claimed. Page Six reported in October 2018 that Cooper, who's proudly sober, was a bit of a homebody, while Shayk wanted to go out and about in Hollywood. A source told Page Six that "after the lust wore off, they had very little in common." An insider concurred to In Touch Weekly, suggesting, "Bradley and Irina never had a strong foundation to begin with. They have very little in common and to be honest, their relationship was based on mutual physical attraction ... I have been around them many times and seen them barely speak to each other."

What's more, it appears that Shayk may have wanted a more serious commitment than Cooper was prepared to provide. A source told Page Six that they never shopped for a home together during their relationship, and that Shayk had been "certain" that she and Cooper would tie the knot after welcoming their daughter ... and that never happened.

A source told E! News that despite their issues, Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk tried to stick it out for the sake of their daughter, Lea De Seine. They're reportedly still working out the kinks of co-parenting post-split, as of this writing. "They love their little girl dearly and that's not going to change no matter what," the source said. An insider claims that they're working on a written custodial arrangement for Lea to keep things as easy and wrinkle-free as possible, and that so far the split has been pretty "amicable."

Cooper previously gushed about how important his family and daughter Lea are to him, and People reported just two months before the split that Cooper was quite family-oriented post-awards season. However, a source told Entertainment Tonight that it wasn't enough to keep his and Shayk's relationship afloat, explaining, "They haven't been getting along for quite some time and seemed to be holding on to their relationship for the sake of their daughter. Those closest to them had high hopes that when Bradley completed promoting A Star Is Born, they would find time to work out their differences, but things only got worse."

Despite a slew of speculation about Bradley Cooper's relationship with Lady Gaga while they filmed and promoted A Star Is Born (2018), sources insisted to Us Weekly that Mother Monster "had nothing to do" with Cooper's split from Irina Shayk, and that there was no actual "Bad Romance" between the co-stars.

Gaga herself shut romance rumors down in February 2019, explaining on Jimmy Kimmel Live of her chemistry with Cooper at the Oscars, "Social media, quite frankly, is the toilet of the internet, and what it's done to pop culture is abysmal," Gaga told the late night host. "People saw love and, guess what, that's what we wanted to you to see. ... ['Shallow'] is a love song." She added, "From a performance perspective, it was so important to both of us that we were connected the entire time. ... I've had my arms wrapped around Tony Bennett for three years touring the world. When you're singing love songs, that's how you want people to feel."