Speaking on the Armchair Expert Podcast, Bradley Cooper revealed that he was fascinated when Lea was born in March 2017, but he did not exactly love her back then. He revealed that he loved taking care of her, but he struggled to form an emotional bond. He said, “The first eight months — I don’t even know if I really love the kid. It’s dope. It’s cool. I’m watching this thing morph. That’s my experience. Fascinated by it. Loved taking care of it. But would I die if someone came in with a gun?”

Cooper continued, “I’m not sure I’d be alive if I wasn’t a dad. I just needed someone to say, like, ‘We’re gonna drop this massive anchor. 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. Your DNA is going to tell you that there’s something more important than you.”

He revealed that it was only after a few months he started loving Lea. Cooper was previously dating Russian model, Irina Shayk. They welcomed Lea in 2017. While they have separated, they continue to co-parent the child. Cooper is currently dating Gigi Hadid while Shayk is seeing Tom Brady.