Saying no to dating is so last season for Gigi Hadid.
Just a year ago, the model cryptically shared a photo of an 87-old-woman holding a sign saying, "Dating Advice: Don't." Which, naturally, the internet took to be a telling window into Hadid's state of mind.
But then she connected with Bradley Cooper and a new romance was born.
It's been six months since Hadid and the Maestro auteur were first spotted enjoying autumn in New York together. And while initially those sightings could have just signaled the beginning of a beautiful friendship, holding hands in London, hanging out on Valentine's Day and kissing at dinner has made their couple status undeniable.
And what are Cooper, 49, and Hadid, who's turning 29 on April 23, bonding over, you might ask?
Well, you don't need either of them to tell you that love works in mysterious ways. Or that it's a small world, after all.
Not least because Hadid's humorous advisory against dating was assumed to be her reaction to a sighting of Leonardo DiCaprio, whom she casually dated in 2022, partying at Coachella with Irina Shayk. And, coincidentally, Shayk and Cooper—who broke up in 2019—remain close as parents of their now-7-year-old daughter Lea.
Hadid, meanwhile, shares 3-year-old daughter Khai with ex Zayn Malik—who, incidentally, is spending his time these days on a farm in Pennsylvania, where Philadelphia Eagles fanatic Cooper happens to be from.
And though Cooper lived in L.A., where Hadid grew up, for years, he ended up moving to New York—where Hadid's been living since she graduated from high school—because that's where Shayk's career was based.
So, while none of these things necessarily have anything to do with each other, it's all awfully convenient just the same.
But though Hadid and Cooper are obviously enjoying their time out on the town, noticeably catching a March 23 performance of Sweeney Todd on Broadway, they haven't publicly blended their lives yet.
Cooper brought mom Gloria Campano to the Golden Globes (Hadid joined them for dinner afterward) and the Oscars—host Jimmy Kimmel made sure to take note of their frequent togetherness in his monologue—and Lea reportedly was his date to the 10th Breakthrough Prize gala April 14 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in L.A.
He hit the red carpet solo, but it was a return appearance at the museum for Lea, who attended the premiere of Maestro—in which she had a bit role as Leonard Bernstein's daughter Jamie, played older in the film by Maya Hawke—in December with her dad.
We aren't holding our collective breath for a Cooper cameo on Hadid's Instagram, either. While she used to share scenes from her relationship with Malik, which ended in 2021, the face of Miu Miu and Maybelline knew she was damned if she did or didn't.
"If I post what I think would be normal to post with your boyfriend then the comments are, 'It's extra', 'it's forced', 'it's fake,'" she told British Vogue in 2018. "And then if I don't do enough then they're like, 'They're not really together,' so it's kind of always a battle. But I do what feels true to me and I try to do it with integrity and all I can hope is that people would see it's real."
And Cooper, while he loves directing and starring in a love story, is famously private about his own personal life, even when it's being dutifully chronicled by paparazzi.
But he and Hadid aren't sitting around being hermits, either, so do enjoy the photos of their romance as it continues to blossom, just in time for spring:
October 2023: A Couple Is Born
Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid sparked romance rumors after they were spotted having dinner with friends at Italian hotspot Via Carota in New York City Oct. 5.
November 2023: Conversations With Friends
The pair was seen together again Nov. 1, catching the off-Broadway play Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. Bradley also joined Gigi for her girls night out Nov. 4, grabbing dinner at BondSt with Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Sophie Turner, Cara Delevigne and Brittany Mahomes.
January 2024: Meeting the Parents
By the new year, Gigi and Bradley had taken the next step in their relationship: meeting the parents. In fact, the supermodel joined Bradley and his mother Gloria Campano for dinner at Los Angeles' Giorgio Baldi after the 2024 Golden Globes on Jan. 7.
January 2024: Across the Pond
The couple officially confirmed their romance when they stepped out holding hands during a visit to London on Jan. 25.
February 2024: A Joyful Valentine's Day
The couple was far from the shallow on Valentine's Day. Their love story continued to heat up during an outing in the Big Apple, where they were spotted arm-in-arm and wearing matching outfits.
February 2024: Romance in Residence
Bradley played the role of supportive boyfriend as they visited Gigi's Guest in Residence boutique on Feb. 26.
March 2024: PDA Alert
Bradley and Gigi packed on the PDA as they dined at Via Carota March 14, the same restaurant they were first spotted at together in October. This time, they were joined by Queer Eye stars Antoni Porowski and Tan France, who is also Gigi's Next in Fashion co-host.
March 2024: Musical Date Night
The couple enjoyed a date night at a performance of Sweeney Todd on Broadway, later posing backstage with cast member Joanna Carpenter.