Kanye West and Irina Shayk ‘romance’ becomes latest celebrity coupling to spark a stir
Rapper and supermodel were photographed together in France on Tuesday, West’s birthday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Just weeks after Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck sent fans into a meltdown over their possible reconciliation, a new celebrity couple has found itself in the spotlight.
This week, Kanye West, who is currently divorcing from Kim Kardashian, was spotted in France with supermodel Irina Shayk, with TMZ reporting that the pair are “100 per cent romantically together”.
The paparazzi photographs of West, 44, and Shayk, 35, taken on Tuesday, the rapper’s birthday, and published by the DailyMail, show the pair during a stroll in Provence, France and appear to confirm reports of a possible relationship that circulated earlier this month by gossip site Deuxmoi.
However, on social media, the possible relationship between the father-of-four and Shayk, who previously dated Cristiano Ronaldo from 2010 to 2015, and Bradley Cooper, who she shares a child with, from 2015 to 2019, has sparked mixed reactions among fans, with many seemingly confused by the coupling.
“Kanye and Irina are such a random pairing,” one person tweeted on Wednesday, while another said: “I would have never put Irina Shayk and Kanye together. Like... ever. Maybe I’m out of the loop on that one.”
Someone else wrote: “Wow Kanye and Irina. I don’t know how to feel.”
Others were critical of the Russian model’s choice in men, with some calling Shayk’s alleged relationship with West a “downgrade,” while someone else questioned whether her type is simply “rich dudes”.
“This is a downgrade for Irina,” one person wrote, while someone else tweeted: “I mean is Kanye and Irina really that random? She dated Ronaldo and Bradley Cooper before. Like what even is her type? Rich dudes?”
The rumours of a relationship between the rapper and the model also prompted some fans to express concern for Kardashian, who filed for divorce from her husband of almost seven years in February.
“This absolutely turns my stomach. How he could just bounce back so quickly after divorce is beyond me. My heart breaks for Kim…” one person tweeted.
The photos of West and Shayk also come after the Skims founder publicly wished the 44-year-old a happy birthday on Tuesday, tweeting a photo of herself, West, and three of their children along with the caption: “Happy Birthday. Love U for Life!”
Last week, fans also saw the reality star break down over the end of her marriage during an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which saw Kardashian reveal that she feels like a “failure”.
As of now, neither West nor Shayk have commented on their alleged relationship.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments