Who Is Ana de Armas’ Ex-Boyfriend? All About Paul Boukadakis

Ana de Armas and Tinder executive Paul Boukadakis have called it quits.

PEOPLE learned of their split in November 2024 when de Armas was spotted kissing Manuel Anido Cuesta — the stepson of Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, the president of Cuba.

The actress and Boukadakis were first linked in 2021, but the couple kept the details of their relationship under wraps.

De Armas grew up in Cuba, where she went to acting school and landed roles in movies like 2006’s Una rosa de Francia. Since her first English-language film, 2015’s Knock Knock, she has starred in several hits, including 2019’s Knives Out (which earned her a Golden Globe nomination) and 2021’s No Time to Die.

She also starred opposite ex Ben Affleck in the 2022 thriller, Deep Water. The two broke up in January 2021 after nearly a year together.

“She broke it off. Their relationship was complicated,” a source told PEOPLE at the time. De Armas later told Elle magazine that the attention surrounding her and Affleck was “horrible,” and contributed to her decision to leave Los Angeles and move to Vermont.

So who is Ana de Armas’ ex-boyfriend? Here’s everything to know about Paul Boukadakis and his former relationship with the actress.

He’s from Tulsa, Oklahoma

Growing up, Boukadakis lived in Tulsa, Okla., and attended Bishop Kelley High School, according to a 2016 interview with Entrepreneur. At the time, he was the CEO and co-founder of a video-sharing app called Wheel and had returned to his alma mater to test the product with Midwestern teenagers.

“We have taken the concept and we have seeded it in the Midwest,” he told the outlet. “We went back to our roots. A lot of people on the East and West Coast get first glimpses of products. We wanted to take it back to the Heartland.”

He directed music videos before moving into the entrepreneur and tech space

Prior to creating Wheel, which was originally called Ferris, Boukadakis had a decade-long career as a director, according to a June 2015 interview with The App Guy podcast.

“Before I started Ferris, I was a music video and commercial director for about 10 years,” he said, explaining that his storytelling background was what sparked the idea for the video app in the first place.

“I’m the type of person that believes people are capable of doing many great things at different points in their life,” he continued. “I think a lot of times, when people are comfortable in a job, they get scared to take a risk. They’re afraid to lose that comfortability. I call it The Forrest Gump Mindset, where you’re able to do a lot of great things, you just have to try.”

In 2017, Wheel was acquired by Tinder, and Boukadakis joined the dating app company as vice president of special initiatives, a role he still holds today.

He and de Armas met through a mutual friend

According to Elle, Boukadakis and de Armas first met through a mutual friend during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because most traditional date spots were closed, the pair spent their early days getting to know each other over wine at their homes.

In June 2021, Page Six reported that Boukadakis and de Armas had been dating for “a few months,” and that he had already introduced the actress to members of his family. Three months later, they were photographed together for the first time at JFK Airport in New York City. The two were seen walking through security, and de Armas had her hand on Boukadakis’ back at one point, as seen in photos published by Extra.

After months of speculation, the pair seemingly confirmed their romance in December 2021 when they were spotted kissing in L.A.

It’s unclear when de Armas and Boukadakis eventually split.

He and de Armas kept their relationship private

Despite Boukadakis’ social app background, the Tinder exec doesn’t appear to be on Instagram, and his Twitter account is set to private. De Armas also tends to stay offline — the actress told Elle that she avoids Googling herself, and isn’t very active on social media, aside from promoting new projects.

However, de Armas did share a few photos from her 34th birthday celebration on Instagram in May 2022. The actress spent the day filming Ghosted with her costar Chris Evans, and posted a video of the cast and crew presenting her with a cake. And while he wasn’t spotted in her Instagram post, De Armas told Elle that Boukadakis was in attendance for the occasion.

“I had everybody with me: my man, my dogs, Chris and the crew. I wasn’t home having a romantic dinner; I was on set with my people doing what I love and at the beach and having a shot of Fireball,” she said. “So that was my 34th birthday. And it is the happiest I’ve been.”

De Armas posted about Boukadakis again in December 2022. The couple spent Christmas in Woodstock, Vt., with Boukadakis’ siblings, and the actress shared a few photos from the snowy getaway on Instagram.

He joined de Armas at the Venice International Film Festival

In September 2022, de Armas and Boukadakis were spotted in Venice enjoying a picturesque water taxi ride in photos obtained by the Daily Mail. The pair traveled to Italy for the 79th Venice International Film Festival, where de Armas promoted her film Blonde.

He was de Armas’ plus-one at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty

De Armas didn’t win the Oscar for Best Actress, but she was all smiles next to Boukadakis at the Vanity Fair party. The Blonde star dazzled in a beaded floral dress by Louis Vuitton, while Boukadakis looked handsome in a black tuxedo.