About That Steamy Oscar Performance of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, What The Body Language Experts Are Saying, And What Bradley’s Girlfriend, Irina Shayk Thinks

There’s absolutely no question that Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga have on-screen chemistry. Their Oscar-nominated A Star Is Born performances are testaments to that. And thanks to their clear, err, comfort levels with each other, everyone who has an internet connection has speculated that there’s been an off-screen relationship brewing as well, regardless of how unfair those rumors are to Cooper’s girlfriend of four years, Irina Shayk.

The buzz only intensified when Gaga and her fiancé called it quits last week, leading many gossip mongers (romantics?) to agree that she and Cooper are in voracious lurve. And their Steamy with a capital S rendition of Shallow during the Oscars didn’t help their “we’re just artists who respect each other” case.

What struck body language expert Patti Wood (and, frankly, everyone else watching) was their extended, atypical, unbroken eye contact.

Sure, it was a carefully choreographed performance, but Wood says this mutual gaze was a “longing to touch” or a “pre-coitus” stare. “That’s why everybody went crazy watching it!”

Yep. Felt that.

Blanca Cobb, MS Psy, body language expert, agrees that their chemistry was as palpable at the Oscars as it is in the film. “When they look at each other, it’s as if they’re looking into each other’s souls,” she says. “The song ‘Shallow’ sets the stage for their characters’ romance. To take the chemistry from the big screen to the live performance at the Oscars requires them to get back in character. What makes their real-life chemistry even hotter than their characters, however, is that Cooper and Gaga’s friendship has sparks of attraction. Their interactions are tender, sweet.”

She adds, “Their physical closeness and touches during their Oscars performance screams attraction.”

Also of note? The moment Gaga clutched her womb while Cooper was singing to her.

“The stomach touch showed that Gaga felt a moment of vulnerability. Almost as if to calm the proverbial ‘butterflies in your stomach,’” Cobb says.

But of course, there’s a reason Cooper and Gaga both received Oscar nods for their acting, and the film was honored with a Best Picture nomination: they are two exceptionally talented humans. And while you can’t fake chemistry, you can certainly ham it up for the cameras.

“To determine if they’ll turn into a real life love story, you’re better off watching their interactions when they’re not on-camera,” Cobb shares.

Take, for example, the way Cooper grasped her hand as he walked her off stage following their epic song.

“In multiple photos and joint appearances, Cooper and Gaga are not only vocal about their friendship and fondness for each other, but also they tend to show this closeness through touch,” explains Cobb. “Here, their hands are clasped in a less-romantic way, as indicated by the fact their palms are touching without their fingers interlacing, like a parent would lead a child.”

But then, you can also see the way he “puts his arm around her and brings her close to him,” when he thinks no one is paying attention, which suggests they’re more than just “buds.”

There was also one particular moment in the audience that Gaga and Cooper seemed acutely locked in.

“In this photo, they’re more attuned to each other than Cooper and Shayk. When your bodies are attuned, you’re emotionally attuned as well. They’re leaning forward and laughing, enjoying the moment,” Cobb says. “Shayk, on the other hand, is leaning back in her seat wearing a smile with her hands folded in her lap.”

It could be, however, that the mother of Cooper’s child is purposefully staying in the shadows (no pun intended) in order to let them have their Oscars moment.

While it’s certainly fun (for likely everyone but Shayk) to fantasize about our favorite fictional couple going on to become two matrimonial creative powerhouses, the reality is that Gaga can certainly be Cooper’s muse without being his mistress. Suggestive body language aside, they may very well just be deeply connected friends.

And what about Irina, who watched their performance from the very front of the Oscars crowd. Her reaction to it – and Gaga and Cooper almost kissing on stage?

Not as salacious as you’d think.

Inside the auditorium, a guest captured the audience view at the end of their performance rather than just them on stage. They were given a standing ovation, and Shayk was the first to get up to support her boyfriend:

And while Gaga, during her Best Original Song Oscars acceptance speech, went on about how close she and Cooper were, she and Shayk made it clear there’s no tension between them. After all, she and Cooper are just friends and colleagues. They were photographed hugging after Gaga returned from backstage post-Oscar win. Cooper was additionally shot kissing Shayk right in front of Gaga.

In Gaga’s speech, by the way, the singer spoke emotionally about why Cooper was the only person who could’ve made the song work the way it did with her. “Bradley, there is not a single person on the planet that could’ve sang this song with me but you,” she said, naming him immediately after she thanked her family. “Thank you for believing in us. Thank you so much.”

So, only time will tell if Cooper and Gaga collaborate again (and by collaborate, we mean start dating). But for now, we can say with certainty that while there might have been 3,400 people at the Dolby Theater on Sunday night, for Gaga and Cooper, it seemed there were only two.