Cristiano Ronaldo’s split with former fiancée Irina Shayk, a Russian model and TV personality, occurred eight years ago. Despite their efforts to maintain a low profile, the two stars’ romance was well publicised. But why did the former Manchester United star’s and the Russian supermodel call it quits?
According to Republic World, Cristiano Ronaldo and Irina began dating in 2009 after meeting on the set of an Armani Exchange advertisement during their modelling campaigns for the Italian luxury brand. Later that year, before the World Cup, the pair were reportedly seen together again, when the Portuguese superstar took his Russian girlfriend on his yacht.
Irina’s refusal to attend Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother’s birthday spell the end of the couple’s relationship
Cristiano Ronaldo and Irina Shayk were also engaged, according to the aforementioned publication, when the Portugal captain proposed to the model on Valentine’s Day in 2011. However, the two celebrities’ potential marriage did not materialise, as they divorced in January 2015 after dating for five years.
Several theories and rumours circulated about the reason for the break-up. According to some sources, the two split up since the Russian model refused to attend Cristiano’s mother’s birthday party. TheThings claims, people close to the athlete said that Ronaldo thought his girlfriend was insulting his mother and that he could not forgive the supermodel.
The former Manchester United player has always been close to his mother, and their relationship grew stronger after his father died in 2005. However, Irina has denied insulting Ronaldo’s mother and refuted claims that her absence from the party caused their breakup. According to those close to her, the supermodel worked hard to become close to the footballer’s family and never criticised them. She said via a representative:
“She (Irina) has been close with his family throughout the course of their relationship. Any negative rumours with regards to Irina and the Ronaldo family are completely false, and have not been a factor in the cause of the spilt. Irina has no further comment at the time.”
Furthermore, Irina had also hinted that Cristiano Ronaldo cheated on her, and this was the main reason for their breakup. The supermodel constantly stated that she desired a spouse who was faithful and did not hold secrets from their mate. Back in 2015, Irina told the Spanish magazine Hola:
“Of course I prefer to be with someone, but with the right someone. It’s very simple. You have to be faithful to your other half and not have secrets. That’s my rule. He’s got to be kind, amusing and honest and he’s got to know how to treat a woman. And he’s also got to be faithful.”
Irina began dating Hollywood star Bradley Cooper shortly after her breakup with Ronaldo. Meanwhile, In 2016, the ex-Real Madrid forward met his current partner, Georgina Rodriguez. That same year, Irina advised her Instagram followers to unfollow her if they “only know her as Cristiano Ronaldo’s ex-girlfriend.” Irina’s following dropped by 11 million in just 24 hours, accounting for 75% of her total.