Shannen Findlay
Movies

Inside Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Esposito's 4-month marriage

Years before the movie career of Bradley Cooper erupted and he sealed his fate as a Hollywood star, he was previously married to fellow actress Jennifer Esposito for just four months.

Although the relationship between the two ended over 12 years ago, Esposito, now 45, commented on an Instagram picture of Cooper and Lady Gaga getting a little too close during their super-charged and intimate performance of Shallow from A Star is Born.

The post by actor and comedian David Spade captioned the image, “Is there any chance these 2 aren’t ------?”

The actress responded to the post, writing, “Ha.”

The cheeky caption and humoured response had an adverse reaction from fans, who were curious as to why she chose to comment.

Here’s a brief timeline of the short-lived relationship between the massive Hollywood actor and NCIS actress, Esposito.

The pair were not open about their relationship

Before the couple tied the knot in December 2006, Esposito refused to confirm if she was seeing Cooper in January of that year.

When asked at the InStyle Golden Globes party if the pair were an item, she responded coyly, “I’m not answering that.”

Just a few months after they were first spotted together, their relationship had moved to the next level and confirmation of their engagement hit the tabloids in October 2006.

Their relationship was short-lived

The couple's sweet wedding took place in the south of France in what was described as a small affair. And although both Cooper and Esposito are said to have enjoyed their time together, just four months later they announced their split.

In 2011, Cooper was a guest on Howard Stern's radio show and touched on the failed relationship.

"It was just something that happened. The good thing is, we both realized it […] Sometimes you just realize it," Cooper said, according to Us Magazine. "It just wasn't right. It's interesting […] things happen!"

She had a few interesting words for her “master manipulator ex”

Esposito released her first memoir titled Jennifer’s Way: My Journey with Celiac Disease – What Doctors Don’t Tell You and How You Can Learn to Live Again in 2014.

In the book, she divulged into a failed relationship that “hit an all-time low,” without actually mentioning who the person she shared the relationship with was.

“He was funny, smart cocky, arrogant and a master manipulator,” the actress wrote. “I didn’t necessarily find him that attractive, but I figured that I could enjoy his sense of humour and nonsense for a while.

"I should have noticed the red flags from the beginning – actually, they were more like an entire marching band squad of red flags – but I ignored them because, honestly, I didn't think the relationship was really going to go anywhere," she wrote.

She also added, “We had fun, but he also had a mean, cold side. His personality could flip on a dime.”

Although there was speculation about Cooper being the “master manipulator,” the actress never confirmed this and even went as far to say she would not speak further on the matter in a statement.

“This book is about my journey with celiac disease and only that,” she said at the time. “To refer to anything other than the subject at hand or to make this book about anything else is an insult to me and this disease that plagues so many.”

New relationships

Since their break up, both Cooper and Esposito have moved on and pursued other relationships. The actor has been dating model Irina Shayk since 2015 and they share a two-year-old daughter together, and in 2014 the actress married British model Louis Dowler, who famously dated Kate Winslet.

Adding fuel to rumours that Lady Gaga and Cooper could be more than just friends, a representative for the A Star is Born actress confirmed she had split with her fiancé, Christian Carino.

Scroll through the gallery above to see a few sweet photos of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Esposito while they were together in happier times during 2006 and 2007. 

Did you know about Bradley Cooper's short-lived marriage to Jennifer Esposito? Tell us in the comments below. 

Tags:
Jennifer Esposito, Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Christian Carino, Oscars, Award show, marriage, movies, actor, actress, tv show, A star is born