Bradley Cooper Says Daughter Lea Saved Him

Bradley Cooper is making a stunning revelation about being a father!

Appearing on Monday’s episode of Dax Shepherd’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, “I’m not sure I’d be alive if I wasn’t a dad.”

Cooper is the father of daughter Lea De Seine, 6, with ex Irina Shayk.

He noted, “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.”

When Lea was born, he couldn’t fully relate to the common saying, “I would die in a second for my kid.”

Instead, what was going through his mind was, “I don’t even know if I really love the kid. It’s dope. It’s cool. I’m watching this thing morph.”

However, things changed suddenly, and there was “no question” that he’d die for his child.

Bradley wanted to be the best version of himself for Lea. He explained, “I’ve grown a lot in the last three years. Getting older and realizing there are certain parts of me that have really needed serious work… because I’m a father, and I’m like, ‘I just want the least amount of damage that I could do to my daughter.’”

Over the years, Cooper has been open about his journey to sobriety.

During his chat with Dax, he admitted, “I don’t think I would’ve gotten sober if it was just alcohol. I think I would’ve carried the lineage of my predecessors and I’d be 50. I’d be a dad thinking that drinking’s fine and then one day my daughter would see me the way I saw my dad and who knows what I would do.”

Bradley has been sober for nearly 20 years.

In 2015, Cooper opened up to the late Barbara Walters about getting clean when he was 29.

He told Walters that there would be “no chance” of him sitting down with her for an interview if he wasn’t sober. He added, “I never would’ve been able to take care of my father the way I did when he was sick.”

In 2011, Cooper’s father Charles died in his arms after a long battle with cancer.

While Bradley has credited Will Arnett with helping him with his journey to kick alcohol and drugs, he’s also paying it forward!

At the 2020 National Board of Review Gala, Brad Pitt credited Bradley with starting him on his own path.

Pitt told the crowd, “Bradley just put his daughter to bed and rushed over here to do this. He’s a sweetheart. I got sober because of this guy and every day has been happier ever since. I love you and thank you.”

Earlier this month, Brad honored Bradley at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

"Extra" recently spoke with Bradley, who joked that Brad "owed" him.