Bradley Cooper is getting real about his relationship with his 6-year-old daughter, Lea, whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Irina Shayk. During a recent appearance on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, Cooper opened up about being a father and the ways it changed him.
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While he and Shepard discussed fatherhood, Cooper revealed that he's "not sure" if he'd still be alive if it wasn't for Lea. "I just needed someone to say, like, ‘We’re gonna drop this massive anchor,’" he shared. "I’m like, ‘Why? We’re speeding! I just got an upgrade on the boat, and I know where the wind’s coming in.’ They’re like, ‘No, no, no, there’s a tsunami coming in, and you need an anchor and we’re gonna drop it.’ Because this is gonna dictate everything you do from now on."
Cooper revealed that the bond between him and his daughter didn't come quickly or naturally. In fact, it took him a lot of time to create a strong connection to Lea. "The first, like, eight months, I’m like, ‘I don’t even know if I really love the kid,’" he shared.
"It’s dope, it’s cool, I’m watching this thing morph, and then all of a sudden, my experience was totally that. Fascinated by it, love taking care of it. Would I die if someone came in with a gun? It’s only a couple of months!… She could be an a–hole!" he said.
"And then all of a sudden, it’s like, no question," he added.
Cooper shared that he was also amazed at how well Lea can speak about her feelings at such a young age. "Her mother and I are bowled over at this human being that we’re raising that is able to articulate, and by the way, in her voice," he shared. "I don’t even think I found what my speaking voice was really like until a couple years ago."
