EmRata on motherhood, dating and *that* Harry Styles kissing video 

Just out of a four-year marriage, Emily Ratajkowski is slowly learning to navigate the dating scene… something that is all the harder when done on the world stage where everyone has an opinion. 

Last summer, news broke that Emily and her then-husband, Sebastian Bear-McLard had broken up after it emerged that he cheated on her. Multiple times. 

Rumours began swirling on July 15 when a source close to the model claimed that she planned to file for divorce as a result of infidelity. “Yeah, he cheated,” the source told Page Six. “He’s a serial cheater. It’s gross. He’s a dog.” Around the same time, Ratajkowski was spotted out and about, sans wedding ring – said ring was also noticeably missing from recent Instagram posts. 

On July 18, another source told People that the couple was going their separate ways. “They split recently. It was Em’s decision. She is doing ok. She is strong and focused on her son. She loves being a mom,” the insider said, claiming that the model will indeed be filing for divorce. 

The duo’s whirlwind courtship began back in 2018, when they wed just two weeks after going public with their romance. Many assumed that things would fizzle out given how quickly they had gotten together, but the couple had actually been friends for quite a while by that point. “We knew each other for a long time before and he likes to joke, ‘Yeah, everyone thinks we got married quickly, but you vetted me for two years’,” Em told Busy Philipps on her talk show Busy Tonight at the time. 

According to EmRata, Sebastian first proposed at a restaurant without a ring – a proposition she politely declined. “He proposed to me at Minetta Tavern, and he didn’t have a ring so I was like, ‘Mmm, nah,’” she told Jimmy Fallon. “And then he took the paper clip that the bill was paid with and made me a ring, which I actually thought was really romantic.” 

Ratajkowski has been linked to many different people in the months since her breakup – most recently, Harry Styles who she was seen kissing in Tokyo. Leaked video footage of the two quickly went viral online and unsurprisingly, people had a lot to say. “It’s very bizarre to have certain experiences and then have the whole world know about them and comment on them,” the model-turned-author told Spanish Vogue recently when asked about her love life. 

“I’m just a person who’s gone from a three-year relationship to a four-year relationship, so this is the first time in a long time that I’ve been in a dating stage. The interest in that particular area [of my life] is very strange. Not that I’m surprised, but it’s a tiny slice of my life. Most of my life is focused on my son and my work. But I guess these issues don’t inspire the same flashy headlines. The invasion of private aspects is very hard for me,” she continued. 

As Spanish Vogue noted, the Harry Styles video wasn’t just about the two people in it though as the internet’s immediate reaction was to pit Ratajkowski against Styles’ ex; Olivia Wilde. The idea of women being in competition with each other is a narrative the media loves to perpetuate, Emily agrees. 

“This type of thing happens over and over again. I mad a TikTok talking about it when the Adam Levine case came to light. All my algorithm showed me was content focused on slut-shaming a 23-year-old girl. I was frustrated… in the situation you just asked me about, it’s more of the same. I feel bad for Olivia, because she has had to go through this on several occasions.” She maintains that there hasn’t been any falling out between them, describing it as an “unfortunate matter” spun by the tabloids to sell stories. 

“I didn’t expect this [the video leak of her kissing Styles] to happen, but I think, in general, there’s a reason certain celebrities live in LA, hire security, don’t go to public restaurants, etc.,” Ratajkowski responded when asked if running from the spotlight was the only answer. All she ever wanted was to have money, to have freedom. “The idea of ??giving it up for the sake of privacy is something I haven’t considered yet,” she admitted, adding that she wants to continue “squeezing” New York for all it’s worth. Articles, tweets, TikToks, with unconfirmed information will continue being made about her, but it’s a small price to pay because in her words, “I prefer to have freedom.”

While rumours about her the status of her relationship are difficult to navigate, Emily’s son, Sylvester is, and always will be, her main concern. “What is really starting to worry me is my son. It is complex to explain our relationship with the paparazzi. I don’t want him to be afraid of them. But, at the same time, he has to know that they are not his friends. If something were to happen to him, they wouldn’t run to protect him. I’m sure they’d take a photo before doing anything else.”

You can read Emily’s full interview with Spanish Vogue here. 

Feature image via @emrata