Kanye West and Irina Shayk got together months ago, were at DMX's memorial service
Kanye West and Irina Shayk are dating amid the rapper’s divorce with Kim Kardashian. And this is not a very recent development. “Kanye and Irina [are] dating,” a source told Us Weekly. “They’ve been quietly seeing each other for a couple of months.”
“Irina and Kanye have been spending time together and getting to know one another,” a second source told the magazine. “He’s always thought she was beautiful and they’re both looking forward to seeing where this goes.”
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Rumors of their romance first sparked in May. Later, the duo was spotted by the paparazzi in France, possibly celebrating the rapper’s birthday. West and Shayk arrived in New Jersey together on Wednesday, June 9, following their romantic getaway to France. They disembarked a shared private jet but reportedly did not leave the airport together.
According to TMZ, however, sources said that the two have been together for months, seeing each other as early as March. The gossip website reported that one of the couple's earlier hangouts happened in New York City in late April, when West was there for DMX's celebration of life. The funeral of Earl Simmons or DMX -- he died on April 9 following multiple organ failure -- took place on April 24 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, led by Kanye West's Sunday Service Choir.
TMZ also reported that Shayk was spotted wearing a custom DMX memorial shirt before it was even in the hands of the general public. The custom shirts were designed by Balenciaga and commissioned by the Yeezy brand, and West helped raise over $1 million for DMX's family with the profits.
Earlier, 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. After splitting with the footballer, Shayk dated Bradley Cooper until 2019. The former couple shares a daughter, Lea De Seine, who is now four.
West right now is 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! 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.”
A source also told E! that Shayk is 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.” A second 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.