Irina Shayk Says Her Ex, Bradley Cooper, Is a ‘Hands-On’ Dad Who Doesn’t Use a Nanny

Irina Shayk might be against the term “coparenting,” but she’s all for giving props to Bradley Cooper, the father of her four-year-old daughter. 

In a new interview with Highsnobiety‘s HIGHStyle the model praised her ex, Cooper, for his “hands-on” approach to raising their daughter. “He’s a full-on, hands-on dad—no nanny,” Shayk said. “[My daughter] Lea went on holiday with him for almost two weeks—I didn’t call them once.” 

Honestly, we’re not about praising dads for doing the bare minimum when it comes to raising children—especially considering society’s seemingly endless expectations for mothers—but everyone needs help sometimes, so this is honestly pretty impressive. A no-nanny policy in Hollywood is practically unheard of!

This interview lines up with another statement she gave about Cooper’s strengths as a father back in March 2021. While referring to her ex as “the most amazing dad,” she also explained why she rejects the term “coparenting.”

“I never understood the term ‘coparenting,’” she told Elle at the time. “When I’m with my daughter, I’m 100% a mother, and when she’s with her dad, he’s 100% her dad. Coparenting is parenting.”

Shayk, who typically keeps her family life pretty private, also opened up to HIGHStyle about their “very strict” parenting style. “When she finishes eating, she gets up from the table, takes her plate, says ‘thank you.’ Without ‘please’ or ‘thank you,’ she’s not getting anything,” Shayk continued. “It’s hard, because she has so many toys. I had one doll, and I still have this doll. Blonde, blue eyes, big Russian doll. My grandma used to make clothes for her.”

Shayk continued, “I always explain, ‘Look, this is my doll. I had only one.’ Or sometimes, ‘You have this candy. I used to have candy only for Christmas.’”

Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper called off their four-year relationship in June 2019. “I think in all good relationships you bring your best and your worst—it’s just the nature of a human being,” Shayk told Vogue in a candid interview seven months after their split. “Two great people don’t have to make a good couple.”