Irina Shayk likes Kanye West 'as a friend', turns down Paris trip to avoid dating rumors: Source
Irina Shayk allegedly likes Kanye West “as a friend” only. This comes after months of rumors and speculation and insider gossip of the two being in a relationship. In fact, back in June, a source said, “Kanye and Irina [are] dating. They’ve been quietly seeing each other for a couple of months.”
Now, insiders have different opinions on this relationship. Sources told Page Six that West asked Shayk to go to Paris for a couture show with him, but the model turned him down. “She likes him as a friend, but doesn’t want a relationship with him,” the source said, explaining that Shayk said no to the trip in order to avoid the headlines linking the two.
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“She doesn’t want the association that they are dating, which is what would have run in the press if she showed up [in Paris with him],” the source continued. “It would have been another month of news saying that they are dating.” The insider also said that Shayk, who has a 4-year-old daughter with Bradley Cooper, is happy being alone at the moment. “She doesn’t want to be linked with anyone right now,” said the source. “She is happy being single.”
Earlier, sources had told Us Weekly, “Irina and Kanye have been spending time together and getting to know one another. He’s always thought she was beautiful and they’re both looking forward to seeing where this goes.”
Rumors of their romance first sparked in May. Later, the duo was spotted by the paparazzi in France, celebrating the rapper’s birthday. West and Shayk arrived in New Jersey together on Wednesday, June 9, following their French getaway. They disembarked a shared private jet but reportedly did not leave the airport together.
A source, around the time, also told TMZ that the two have been together for months, seeing each other as early as March. But West’s association with Shayk has been longer still. West had rapped about the model in his 2010 song ‘Christian Dior Denim Flow’ saying, "I wanna see Irina Shayk next to Doutzen". She was also in his music video for his 2010 song ‘Power’. At the time, she was in a relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo. Two years later, she walked the runway in his Yeezy Paris Fashion Week show.
West is right now in the midst of a high-profile divorce from Kim Kardashian, with whom he shares children North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm. Kardashian filed for it in February, citing “irreconcilable differences” as her reason. “The filing wasn’t a surprise to either of them; both knew it was coming,” a source said at the time. “There is no one person who is exiting the marriage. They both just grew apart from each other. They both wanted to make the marriage work -- that’s why they put this off for so long.”
A source told E! News Following West-Shayk dating rumors, “Kim has heard the rumors about Kanye and Irina Shayk and she doesn’t mind at all. If it doesn’t impact her kids, then she doesn’t mind if Kanye dates.” Another source also told E! News that Shayk was very interested in the rapper. They said, “She seems smitten. He invited her to France and she happily accepted. They are not officially dating, but there is an interest from both sides.” Yet another source told the outlet that there was no awkwardness between Shayk and Kardashian: “Irina isn’t friends with Kim at all, so there’s no weirdness there,” the source said.