Irina Shayk is a Russian fashion model and actress. She gained international recognition when she appeared as the first Russian model on the cover of the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Her work has included magazine covers, swimwear and lingerie campaigns, high fashion editorials and runway shows. In 2022, the website Models.com placed her on its list of the New Supers. She also made her acting debut in the 2014 film Hercules.
Early life
Shayk was born in Yemanzhelinsk in the Chelyabinsk Oblast region of the Soviet Union. She grew up with a father of Volga Tatar origin who worked as a coal miner and a mother who taught music at a kindergarten. She studied piano and sang in a choir at a music school. After her father died when she was 14, her mother worked two jobs to support the family. Shayk later attended a beauty school, and a modeling agency scout noticed her there, leading to her victory in the Miss Chelyabinsk 2004 contest.
Modeling career
Shayk became the face of the Italian lingerie brand Intimissimi in 2007 and debuted that year in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She later signed with IMG Models and worked for brands including Guess, Lacoste and Victoria's Secret. In 2014 she served as flag bearer for the Russian team at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, and in 2015 she became an international spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris.
Personal life
Shayk was in a relationship with Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, whom she met in 2009 and who proposed to her in 2011. The relationship ended in January 2015. In 2017 she gave birth to a daughter with American actor Bradley Cooper, and the couple separated in June 2019.