Bradley Cooper Gets Candid about Daughter He Raises without Nanny & as a ‘Very Strict’ Dad

• Bradley Cooper, best known for his roles in "The Hangover," "A Star Is Born," and "Silver Linings Playbook," is a doting dad to a 6-year-old daughter.
• He recently opened up about how his father's demise affected his parenting style.
• After splitting with his ex, Cooper co-parents his daughter with her and confessed that becoming a father had changed his life.

"American Sniper" actor Bradley Cooper rarely speaks about his 6-year-old daughter, Lea, or his parenting style. He likes being a private father to his only child.

However, the experience of watching his father die in his arms left him with some important realizations that made him speak about his relationship with his little one. He opened up about how his life changed after his father's death and how it affected his own fatherhood.

In an episode from season 2 of "Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge," Cooper opened up about missing his late father and the "nihilistic attitude" he possessed for some time after his father's demise.

The actor admitted he soon realized that he had to accept himself and his circumstances, which improved his situation. Asked how his relationship with his father affected his parenting, the actor responded:

"I mean, you learn from your predecessor's mistakes, and I'll make tons that hopefully Lea will learn from and then being rigorous with myself to grow."

How Did Bradley Become a Very Strict Hands-on Dad?

Cooper began dating Irina Shayk in 2015, but the couple kept their relationship low-key by rarely making public appearances. In March 2017, they welcomed their daughter, Lea, while maintaining their privacy.

According to an insider who spoke to E! News, the couple felt "extremely thrilled" and "blessed" to welcome their little one. By 2019, however, news of their breakup surfaced after they parted ways in private. After their split, they decided to co-parent their little girl and stayed in touch. Living a few blocks away from each other, Cooper and Shayk raise their daughter as a team.

"He's a full-on, hands-on dad — no nanny," the Russian model revealed about her ex as a father. She described their parenting style as "very strict," sharing they teach Lea to clear up the table after her meal and to always say "thank you" and "please" or she wouldn't get what she wanted.

Being raised by parents who've parted ways means Lea has to spend time with one parent in the absence of the other, and Shayk isn't worried. In fact, she shared that Cooper took Lea on a two-week vacation, and she "didn't call them once."

How Did Lea Drastically Change Her Dad?

Becoming a father for the first time was something that changed Cooper. He confessed that being a father to "a wonderful human being" changed everything in his life. It gave him a new perspective that he never knew existed.

In an interview recorded before his split, the "American Hustle" actor said he had "always dreamt of" becoming a father and having a family and that those experiences had "opened" him and taught him to live in the moment.

During his successful acting career, Cooper has had the opportunity to meet many different kinds of people. Interacting with them made him learn how one's upbringing shapes their personality.

He said he could "see it in them" if they had a good childhood or not, which made him realize the importance of good parenting. Aiming to raise his little one in the best possible way, he said, "I just always want her to feel loved."

Fatherhood introduced Cooper to a different meaning of joy that he compared with the feeling of experiencing a "breakthrough with the script." He revealed that he gets that feeling multiple times daily while being around his daughter.

In his 2019 appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' show, Cooper opened up about how fatherhood changed his life. When DeGeneres asked him how his life changed after becoming a father, he said:

"It allowed me to embrace my childlike self without any sort of fear of judgment."

Cooper added that he enjoys watching cartoons and playing with toys with his little one without feeling that he is wasting his time. He has fun in Lea's company, which he had never experienced before becoming a father.

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