Animal brilliance: Irina Shayk got candid in the cover story for the May issue of Harper's Bazaar. The supermodel, 37, talked about confidence, motherhood and a nugget of advice her grandmother gave her

Irina Shayk got candid in the cover story for the May issue of Harper’s Bazaar. 

The supermodel, 37, talked about confidence, motherhood and a nugget of advice her grandmother gave her.

‘Always be yourself. Be kind to people,’ she said, adding that her grandmother was ‘Always so positive and grateful for every day.’

In the photos for the story, the mom of Lea De Seine Shayk Cooper, six, with her ex, Bradley Cooper, 48, looked sultry and sexy.  She showed off her lean figure in a number of looks ranging from a leopard print sheath dress to sheer lingerie to a bra and miniskirt. 

She also said that she gained more confidence after becoming a mother. 

Animal brilliance: Irina Shayk got candid in the cover story for the May issue of Harper's Bazaar. The supermodel, 37, talked about confidence, motherhood and a nugget of advice her grandmother gave her

Animal brilliance: Irina Shayk got candid in the cover story for the May issue of Harper’s Bazaar. The supermodel, 37, talked about confidence, motherhood and a nugget of advice her grandmother gave her

Cover girl: Shayk on the May 2023 issue of Harper's Bazaar in a leopard print Dolce & Gabbana dress

Cover girl: Shayk on the May 2023 issue of Harper’s Bazaar in a leopard print Dolce & Gabbana dress

The brunette bombshell credits her beloved grandmother with giving her the confidence to be herself.

‘I always admired my grandmother. She was my icon in basically everything. She always had kind words for me. That’s what true beauty is,’ she explained.

And she dove into how motherhood changed her outlook on life. 

‘Motherhood definitely shined a light on me, [like] “Oh, you’re a mother, you’re busy, but you still have time for yourself and you don’t have to change who you are,”‘ she wrote. 

‘Sometimes I wake up and I feel cute and I think,“Oh, should I put these pictures out on social media?” One voice says, “Oh, but people will say, ‘You’re a mother.’ ”And I’m like,“But what does it mean?”’

In the end, though, she refers back to her grandmother’s advice to always be herself.

She added: ‘You’re a mother, but it doesn’t mean you cannot go outside in a tiny little skirt or put a sexy picture up.’

‘I’ve never really [cared about] people’s opinions, even early in my modeling career, when they were like,“Oh my God, she doesn’t really look like a model. She’s not skinny, she’s too sexy, she’s never going to be a model.”’

Roses: The model wore Giorgio Armani Limited Edition knit with a Fleur du Mal bra, Dolce & Gabbana briefs, Roxanne Assoulin necklace, Bulgari rings and Wolford tights

Roses: The model wore Giorgio Armani Limited Edition knit with a Fleur du Mal bra, Dolce & Gabbana briefs, Roxanne Assoulin necklace, Bulgari rings and Wolford tights

Stunning: Irina modeled a Gucci biker jacket with a Michael Kors  bodysuit and Tiffany & Co. drop earrings

Stunning: Irina modeled a Gucci biker jacket with a Michael Kors  bodysuit and Tiffany & Co. drop earrings

Slim and slinky: Irina modeled  a Stella McCartney dress, Falke tights and John Fluevog shoes

Slim and slinky: Irina modeled  a Stella McCartney dress, Falke tights and John Fluevog shoes

Dare to bare: She bared her bra in a black miniskirt and leopard print thigh-high boots

Dare to bare: She bared her bra in a black miniskirt and leopard print thigh-high boots

High fashion: The 37-year-old looked stunning in a Hermès waistcoat, James Perse tank and Dolce and Gabbana thigh-high boots

High fashion: The 37-year-old looked stunning in a Hermès waistcoat, James Perse tank and Dolce and Gabbana thigh-high boots

She continued: ‘I was always like, “No, I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to lose 10 pounds.”’

And though she lives her life in the public eye, she makes sure to keep her head on straight with one practice.

‘I have no time for people’s opinions. Why on earth would I click and read 2,000 comments? I kind of don’t rely on it,’ she explained.

‘I have my friends, my family. They love me, and I know who I am. I don’t give many, many S-H-I…you know this word, what people really think about me.’

Advice: She relies on advice her grandmother once gave her to 'Always be yourself'

Advice: She relies on advice her grandmother once gave her to ‘Always be yourself’

Her advice: On raising daughter Lea De Seine Shayk Cooper, she said, 'Most important is teaching our daughter bigger values than being pretty on the outside'

Her advice: On raising daughter Lea De Seine Shayk Cooper, she said, ‘Most important is teaching our daughter bigger values than being pretty on the outside’

‘People ask, “Have you always been that confident?” No, I haven’t. It’s just that I’ve learned to love my imperfections. You need to love all of you. 

‘My daughter is a big part of why I started to love myself even more. She’ll say, “I love Daddy so much, I love Mama so much, I love Nana, I love Babulya—” who is my mom. Then she goes, “And I really love myself.”

‘And I’m looking at my daughter and I’m like,“Wow, I wasn’t like that at six years old,”‘ she said.

She concluded: ‘Most important is teaching our daughter bigger values than being pretty on the outside.’

She loves her body: Seen here in a swimsuit with boots in a photo posted to Instagram on Wednesday

She loves her body: Seen here in a swimsuit with boots in a photo posted to Instagram on Wednesday

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