KEY POINTS

  • Kanye West and rumored new flame Irina Shayk have a long history
  • The supermodel appeared in West's "Power" music video in 2010
  • Shayk also walked in his Fall 2012 show in Paris

Kanye West and Irina Shayk have known each other for years, long before rumors of a romance between them began swirling last month.

Photos of the rapper, 44, and 35-year-old Russian supermodel's France vacation were published by Daily Mail this week, kicking the dating rumors into high gear. E! News quoted an unnamed insider as saying that the two "have been seeing each other for several weeks."

But while West and Shayk's romance may be new, the two have known each other for over a decade. The model not only starred in one of his music videos but also walked the runway during one of his Yeezy shows. Check out West and Shayk's relationship timeline below, courtesy of Us Weekly and E! News.

2010

Shayk appeared in West's "Power" music video. In the clip, West plays like a god-like figure with Shayk sitting on what appears to be a throne in front of him as his muse or queen.

Several months later, West made a reference to the supermodel in the track "Christian Dior Flow."

"Alessandra Ambrosio, Anja Rubik and Olga / Kurylenko, tell her I’m very single," West sang. "Abbey Lee too, I’m a freak, boo / I’m wilding, I’m on a thousand / I wanna see Irina Shayk next to Doutzen."

2012

Shayk walked in the rapper's 2012 Paris Fashion Week show.

"Kanye and Irina have known each other for years through the fashion industry," an unnamed source close to West told E! News. "They were connected through their mutual friend group and Riccardo Tisci."

At the time, Bradley Cooper's ex praised the Yeezy designer for his creativity and fashion sense.

"When I got a request to participate in the show, I was very thrilled and agreed immediately. I consider Kanye West to be one of those rare people that bring new ideas into the world," Shayk told Pop Sugar. "He brought art into music, and now he is releasing his passion for fashion and I think that it's absolutely amazing! It does not happen to many of musicians. He has a good eye for fashion and he is not scared to try new things."

Shayk revealed she "fell in love" with West's white button shoes from his previous collection before she joined his show in Paris, describing them as "extremely comfortable and very special looking."

2021

Months after Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from West in February, Shayk stepped out in New York City in April wearing the DMX tribute T-shirt Yeezy and Balenciaga collaborated on in honor of the late rapper.

On Tuesday, which was also his 44th birthday, West and Shayk were spotted vacationing together in Provence, France. They were also photographed arriving together at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey Wednesday, TMZ reported.

"Kanye and Irina [are] dating," an unnamed source told Us Weekly in a report published a day after their vacation photos surfaced. "They’ve been quietly seeing each other for a couple months."

Another anonymous insider recently told the outlet that Kardashian, who shares four children with West, has no issues with her estranged husband's rumored new romance.

"Kim doesn’t mind because she saw how quiet and respectful Irina was after she broke up with Bradley," the source said, adding that Kardashian doesn't want to see West move on with someone "who’s going to talk to the press."

Meanwhile, Shayk split with Cooper in 2019 after four years of dating. They share daughter Lea.

Kanye West
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 24: Kayne West attends LACMA Director's Conversation With Steve McQueen, Kanye West, And Michael Govan About "All Day/I Feel Like That" presented by NeueHouse in association with UTA Fine Arts at LACMA on July 24, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for LACMA