Jeanne Cadieu: 5 Facts About Jake Gyllenhaal's Model Girlfriend

Jake Gyllenhaal has had an incredibly successful career, but it's not just his films that have attracted attention. His dating history has also been a topic of conversation — even more so because the "Donnie Darko" actor is so secretive about his personal life, and he's not one to discuss current or ex-girlfriends. 

"Well, I have a firm belief that I enter space with an open heart and a mind that's strong enough to protect it," he told The Guardian in a 2017 interview. "I'm not necessarily guarded, but I consider intimacy to be very important, and I don't think everybody needs to know about my family or my personal details. I'm old school in that way." That could change as he finds himself in a long-term and committed relationship with Jeanne Cadieu, and his comments about her show just how in love he really is.

But who is the woman who holds Gyllenhaal's heart, and what should fans know about her? She is much more than the partner of a celebrity; she's a successful model with a thriving career of her own. Still, that doesn't mean there are not many exciting things waiting for her and Jake Gyllenhaal in the future.

Jake Gyllenhaal has dated several famous women over the years, including those younger than him (take his brief coupling in 2010 with Taylor Swift as an example, which even resulted in a song). Gyllenhaal is an individual who prefers to keep his relationships private, so it comes as little surprise that he has not spoken in great detail about Jeanne Cadieu, despite dating her since December 2018. What we do know is there is a significant age gap between them, with Gyllenhaal 16 years older than his girlfriend.

The actor was born December 19, 1980, while Cadieu was born February 8, 1996. This means Gyllenhaal is part of Generation X while Cadieu is from the Millennial Generation. This could have presented a challenge for the couple if they found themselves in different stages of their lives; after all, Gyllenhaal was a teenager when Cadieu was born. However, it appears age is just a number in this relationship. We can say this because of the comments about Cadieu and her maturity.

"Jeanne is very mature for her age. She's quirky, smart, and loves history, reading; she's a really great and well-rounded person," a source told Us Weekly in 2018. "She and Jake really took things slow but are now pretty serious."

While Jeanne Cadieu's name may be in the headlines due to her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal, Cadieu is her own person outside of her famous boyfriend.

She is a successful model and has worked with some of the most respected fashion brands. Perhaps one of her career highlights was becoming the cover girl for Harper's Bazaar France in March 2023, a decision that clearly meant a lot to her. The model shared the cover on Instagram, along with a caption revealing her joy.

"This cover gives me goosebumps!" she wrote. "We shot it during the 2022 World Cup finals. Between shots, the entire Harpers Bazaar team and I would run to the computer screen and watch the now infamous match play out. 'GO FRANCE!' the sports commentor passionately screamed. 'GO HARPER'S BAZAAR FRANCE!' I squealed back with delight ..." Her caption also included a long list of people she thanked for working with her on this cover, highlighting her appreciation for others as a great quality.

Not everything Jeanne Cadieu has done can be praised, and she found herself in the middle of intense backlash when she wore a Native American headdress. A video of her circulated on the internet showing her wearing the headdress while attending the 2019 Burning Man music festival. She was accused of cultural misappropriation and allegedly also making an offensive gesture referred to as "pied de nez," which is essentially when someone thumbs their nose at someone or something.

Cadieu does not appear to have addressed the criticism of her actions. While it does not lessen them in any way, she is not the first celebrity to be accused of cultural misappropriation. This includes Pharrell Williams, who appeared on the cover of Elle U.K. wearing a headdress in 2014, and Khloe Kardashian, who wore a headdress to her niece North West's music festival-inspired birthday party, "Kidchella," in 2014.

Cultural misappropriation has long been slammed for showing a lack of sensitivity, with many celebrities on the receiving end of criticism. Cultural Director of the Redhawk Native American Arts Council Cliff Matias told Page Six in 2014, "But it's also sad. It's really sad that people who are celebrities don't take the responsibility and the understanding that they are trendsetters and they influence people, especially young people," he "It's a responsibility that I don't think a lot of them acknowledge that they have."

Jeanne Cadieu has been modeling since she was a teenager, and she appears to be incredibly dedicated to her career. She has discussed when she started modeling and how she planned to pursue it as a career during a chat with Fashion TV in 2014. In the video, she spoke about the modeling agency she was signed to at the time, Elite Model Management, and revealed she had been modeling for around two-and-a-half years.

She was just a teenager at the time of the interview and was still at school. "I finish school in four months," she revealed, "and then I'm going to do this full-time. I'm really really excited about it." She appeared very shy and sweet in the clip, but her latest campaign and runway shots show a model who is incredibly confident and has worked steadily in the fashion industry for a reason. Her Instagram gives a glimpse into some of the projects she's been involved in. Her jobs include campaigns with Loewe, a photo shoot for "M Le magazine du Monde," and Toteme's Spring/Summer shoot for 2023 by Steven Meisel. 

She has also walked the runway for Isabel Marant, Dries Van Noten, Etro, and Victoria Beckham, even opening her show in 2023.

While Jeanne Cadieu may be very private about her personal life and relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal, that doesn't mean she's outspoken about what she believes in — even sharing her political views with her fans. She voiced her approval for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' election win in 2020, taking to social media to celebrate the event, which she viewed as historic. 

"Today is a good day. History has been made! Congratulations to @joebiden & @kamalaharris," she wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post, Seventeen reports (via Yahoo!).

Despite being French, Cadieu has lived and worked in America for many years and is invested in the country and its people. At the peak of the Black Lives Matters movement (BLM) in 2020, she did not stay quiet and used her social media to spread awareness for the cause. This included educating others and sharing helpful links for those looking to fund BLM and participate in activism.