Irina Shayk covers the latest “digital issue” of Harper’s Bazaar. This is her first interview and editorial since the split with Bradley Cooper. Remember how everyone was trying to make their split some huge, scandalous thing? Yeah, I’m glad that the forced scandal sort of died down. No one was buying it. As for Irina, she sounds…fine. Maybe a little bit sad, but she’s a tough Russian woman and I’ve really become a fan over the past year. She’s not drowning in insecurities or very fancy or precious about anything. She actually seems quite normal and down-to-earth. You can read the full Bazaar piece here. Some highlights:

On marriage: “Everyone looks at it differently. Do I believe in marriage? Yes, of course. I’m not the kind of person who is against it.”

She understands why people are interested in her personal life: “I think it’s just human beings: if you cannot have it, you want to have it. There’s a curtain there, you want to open the curtain. It’s curiosity I guess.”

She’d love an old-school romance. “Nobody’s sending letters to anyone anymore. I really believe if you go for dinner with somebody, you don’t have to send them a text or keep them updated on Instagram message. You freaking pick up the phone, call and say, ‘Let’s have dinner.'” But ditch the roses. “Every time people send me flowers, I’m like, just send me a tomato plant!” she said.

She’s not perfect: “I’m not perfect. I have bad skin days and bad hair days. Sometimes I don’t look like a model. I’m just a real human being.”

Why they named their daughter Lea de Seine: Her grandmother’s name is Galina, which apparently inspired Lea’s first name. The Victoria’s Secret model also explained, “The second part is the Seine, like the river in Paris.” As Shayk regularly walks runways all over the globe, it’s fitting that her daughter’s name draws inspiration from both an important family member and one of the most vibrant cities in the world. Elaborating on her grandmother’s influence, Shayk said, “My father’s mother was one of the strongest women in my life… it was really inspiring to grow up in a women’s family because you learn so much from the strong women in your life.” And in tribute to her grandmother, Shayk has the name Galina tattooed on her ankle, so that “she’s always with me.”

[From Harper’s Bazaar]

I love it when celebrities admit that they totally understand the interest in their personal lives. It IS curiosity, and it IS human nature. Most people are curious about other people’s lives, and these are the stories we tell ourselves to relate to each other, to empathize and warn and educate and judge. Gossip = storytelling and curiosity. Also: I too miss the time when people wrote letters. Not even love letters – although that would be lovely – but just old-fashioned LETTERS. Last thing: yeah, I’m starting to think that Irina wanted to marry B-Coop and he didn’t want that.

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“I’m not this stiff model who sits there and wants to look perfect. I’m not perfect. I have bad skin days and bad hair days. Sometimes I don’t look like a model. I’m just a real human being.” — @irinashayk gets real in our Summer 2019 digital cover story. Link in bio Photography by @zoeygrossman Interview by @olivia_fleming Video by @mr_dume Styling by @charlesvarenne Hair by @harryjoshhair Makeup by @ttmakarova #IrinaShayk wears @ysl @cartier @louboutinworld

A post shared by Harper's BAZAAR (@harpersbazaarus) on Jul 11, 2019 at 5:17am PDT

Photos courtesy of Harper’s Bazaar.