The ink on Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West’s divorce filing is still fresh, and yet the rapper is already sparking dating rumours. If we were to give you 100 guesses on who the new supposed romantic interest is, you’d likely still get it wrong: It’s Irina Shayk.
Speculation began when Kanye and the Russian model were reportedly seen on vacation together in Provence, France on his 44th birthday. They were flanked by a group of people walking the grounds of a luxury boutique hotel, so they could easily just be hanging out, but it still appears a little sus — especially given that they've both recently exited long-term, high-profile relationships.
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Kim filed for divorce from Kanye in February, and later in April the rapper cited "irreconcilable differences" as the grounds for the divorce. He requested that he and Kim be able to share legal and physical custody of their four children and asked the court to ignore its right to award spousal support for either party. Shayk was previously with actor Bradley Cooper, with whom she shares a daughter, but the pair split up in 2019 after four years together. In January 2020, she opened up about life after her breakup for the first time, telling British Vogue that "life without [Cooper] is new ground.”
“It’s hard to find a balance between being a single mom and being a working woman and provider," she said. "Trust me, there are days I wake up and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t know what to do, I’m falling apart."
Shayk and Kanye have known each other for more than a decade. She starred in his music video for “Power” back in 2010, walked in his fashion show during Paris Fashion Week in 2012, and appeared to subtly support Kanye by wearing a shirt he designed for Balenciaga last month, per as The Sun.
Despite the rumors, don't expect that there will be a public dust-up between him and Kim. On June 8, Kim celebrated her ex's birthday on social media. She posted a photo on Twitter of Kanye as a child in 1987 paired with a simple red balloon emoji as the caption. On Instagram, she posted an old picture of the pair with three of their kids – North, Saint, and Chicago — alongside the caption “Happy Birthday Love U for Life!" She also shared a throwback photo of her and Kanye, a picture of him with all four kids, and the same Polaroid of Kanye from 1987 on her Instagram Story.
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But just saying — if Kim decides to call up Cooper to "hang out," we promise to look the other way.
Refinery29 reached out to Kanye and Shayk for comment.
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