Bradley Cooper addresses Lady Gaga romance rumours

Bradley Cooper has addressed the rumours that emerged in 2019 that he and Lady Gaga were romantically linked.

Speculation began after the A Star is Born co-stars performed the musical’s lead track “Shallow” at the Oscars two years ago.

Throughout the performance, the stars maintained eye contact. Cooper took a seat next to Lady Gaga at the piano at one stage and laid his head on her shoulder. The two received a standing ovation.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in a profile of Lady Gaga, Cooper said the pair were definitely acting during their performance of the song, which ultimately won Gaga the songwriting Oscar.

He said he had conceived the performance to unfold like a scene from the film in part to help manage his own nerves about singing live.

“Just from a personal standpoint, it reduces the anxiety level,” he said. “They kind of fall in love in that scene in the film. It’s that explosive moment that happens to happen to them on a stage in front of thousands of people… It would have been so weird if we were both on stools facing the audience.”

On working with Lady Gaga, the actor added: “She’s just so terribly charismatic and beautiful. When I met her, I thought, ‘If I can just harness that… then it’s just for me to mess up.’ But then, when we started working together, I realised, ‘Oh, oh, the sky’s the limit in terms of what she’s able to do and her commitment level.’”

Cooper was recently spotted arm-in-arm with his ex-girlfriend, the model Irina Shayk, who he split from in 2019.

The pair originally began dating in 2015 and welcomed their daughter, Lea De Seine, in March of 2017.