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Irina Shayk’s ‘Explosive Love Triangle’ With Bradley Cooper, Tom Brady ‘Could Blow Up in Her Face’
She looked incredible. On August 27, Irina Shayk shared pictures of herself posing atop beachside rock formations wearing nothing but a pair of black string bikini bottoms, socks and hiking shoes. The model, who covered her bare breasts with her hand in the Instagram shots, also posted an eyebrow-raising photo credit — the initials LB next to a musical score emoji, hinting at who snapped them: ex Bradley Cooper, who’s playing famed composer Leonard Bernstein in Maestro, an upcoming film he also directed and co-wrote. Irina more directly confirmed that she and her ex were vacationing together when she posted a sexy shirtless pic of Bradley reclining on a kayak on her Instagram Story.
There’s more. Days later, pictures surfaced of Irina and Bradley with their 6-year-old daughter, Lea, looking cozy ahead of the Venice Film Festival. During their August 26 outing — Bradley was in town to check the vision and sound ahead of Maestro’s premiere, which he couldn’t attend due to the actors’ strike — he was seen putting his hands on her back and shoulders and leaning in as they traveled through the romantic Italian city by water taxi and enjoyed an outdoor meal. “Bradley and Irina looked like the perfect couple,” a source exclusively tells Life & Style. “But there’s one problem: Tom Brady.”
The actor’s getaways with the Russian beauty took place less than two weeks after Irina spent two days holed up in a London hotel with newly divorced and retired NFL star Tom, to whom she was first romantically linked in July. “Bradley, Irina and Tom are in one of the most explosive love triangles Hollywood has seen in years,” says the source. “Irina says she cares about Tom and they haven’t called things off, but she’s also never stopped loving Bradley.”
When Bradley and Irina split four years ago, reports claimed it was because he was paying more attention to his work than to pursuing a commitment to her. He could be coming to regret that, says the source, pointing out that Tom, 46, whose divorce from supermodel Gisele Bündchen, 43, was finalized last October, is the total package — and Bradley, 48, knows it. “Bradley doesn’t usually fall for petty games. He’s pretty straightforward and no-nonsense, but he’s also a huge football fan,” says the source, and if there was anyone Irina, 37, could date to make the nine-time Oscar nominee feel envious, “it would be Tom,” a seven-time Super Bowl champion.
Tom has feelings, too. “If Tom is feeling a little used or a bit insecure, it’s easy to see why,” adds the source, because on top of being her ex, “Bradley looks like he’s in the best shape of his life, and here he is posing shirtless for Irina and taking topless pictures of her.” According to the source, “Tom wasn’t happy when he saw the romantic Venice photos of them either and flipped out.”
It’s a messy situation. “A lot of people are questioning if Irina’s been using Tom to make Bradley jealous,” says the source. “If that’s the case, it looks like it worked.” However, the same could be said of her potentially using Bradley to make Tom jealous, notes the source: “Her friends are warning her that she’s playing a dangerous game.”
The source claims Irina “gets what she wants” most of the time. “She’s only interested in being with a successful, high-profile man,” says the source, noting other former flames include soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, and rapper Kanye West, 46. “The dark truth is, if either Tom or Bradley weren’t famous, Irina would probably have no interest.”
But that’s a moot point — because both hunks are rich and powerful. “Irina would love to be with Bradley, the father of her child,” admits the source. “She wants another kid and so does he, but Irina would want him to commit this time. Marriage is her goal.”
Tom may not be looking to settle down soon either, though — especially so quickly after his divorce. “The ugly side of all of this is that someone’s going to lose,” says the source. “And it just might be Irina. The love triangle could blow up in her face and she’ll end up without either of them.”
