Bradley Cooper reveals eight month struggle to form connection with daughter Lea: 'I don’t even know if I really love the kid'

29 February 2024, 09:07 | Updated: 29 February 2024, 12:11

Bradley Cooper has opened up about early parenthood, revealing he struggled to feel connected to his daughter for eight months following her birth.

Speaking on the subject of parenthood, The Hangover and A Star Is Born actor, 49, admitted that it took him eight months to 'really love' his first born child.

"The first eight months — I don’t even know if I really love the kid," Cooper admitted.

The actor, who shares daughter Lea with former Victoria's Secret model ex-girlfriend Irina Shayk, 38, revealed the initial struggle that he felt following her arrival in March 2017.

The interview took place as part of Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast on Monday, with the Hollywood actor going on to admit that he wasn't sure he would still be alive was it not for fatherhood.

Explaining that his feelings towards his child have since changed dramatically, he adds: "I would die in a second for my kid."

Speaking with Shepard on his developing relationship with his daughter, Cooper explained: "It's dope. It's cool. I'm watching this thing morph."

However, the actor admits his initial feelings towards his daughter made him question his instincts: "That's my experience. Fascinated by it. Loved taking care of it. But would I die if someone came in with a gun?"

Elaborating on the delay when it came to his fatherly instincts kicking in, Cooper said: "All of a sudden, it was like, 'no question'."

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He added: "I'm a father [seeking to do] the least amount of damage I can do to my daughter. To have a child not grow up in that way …

"I want her to have, as much as she can, a foundation that's like 25 feet thick, cement, that she can walk on this earth with. That's the goal.

"I can just feel the safety that she feels. It's so tangible; it's palpable. That is so fulfilling."

Cooper and Shayk have dated on-and-off since first meeting in 2015, with Cooper now in a relationship with fellow ex-Victoria's Secret model Gigi Hadid.

Speaking on the subject of parenthood and his own health, Cooper admitted that the birth of his daughter acted as a saving grace.

"Honestly I'm not sure I'd be alive if I wasn't a dad. I don't know what would have happened. I am not sure," he confessed.

"I just needed someone to say, like, "We're gonna drop this massive anchor."'

Likening the experience to helming a speedboat, Cooper admits his reluctance to slow down where his lifestyle was concerned.

"I'm like, 'Why? We're speeding! I just got an upgrade on the boat, and I know where the wind's coming in,'" said Cooper.

"They're like, 'No, no, no, there's a tsunami coming in, and you need an anchor and were gonna drop it.'"