Gigi Hadid is supportive of sister Bella Hadid taking a break from modeling.
“Gigi couldn’t be prouder of Bella for making the decision to step away from modeling. She knows it wasn’t a decision Bella took lightly, but something that will make her feel more fulfilled than ever,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly.
The insider continues, “Plus, she knows this is just a break and it’s more than likely Bella will return to modeling at some point. Bella is a force to be reckoned with in the fashion industry and although it won’t be the same for a little while, Gigi is so happy for her little sister.”
Bella, 27, spoke about her decision during an interview with Allure published on Tuesday, April 30.
“After 10 years of modeling, I realized I was putting so much energy and love and effort into something that … wasn’t necessarily giving it back to me,” she explained.
Bella, who has long been candid about the toll her ongoing battle with Lyme disease has taken on her health, recently moved to Texas to be closer to boyfriend Adan Banuelos. She also launched a fragrance brand, Ôrəbella, and is enjoying a slower pace of life.
“I love being able to do my own hair and makeup, be happy with how I look and get ready with my girlfriends here in Texas,” she told Allure. “We have the best time, and I never feel like I need to do too much. For the first time now, I’m not putting on a fake face. If I don’t feel good, I won’t go. If I don’t feel good, I take time for myself. … Now, when anybody sees me in pictures and they say, ‘I look happy,’ I genuinely am.”
Although Bella and Gigi, 29, no longer live in the same state, the source tells Us that the sisters are still as tight as ever.
“Even though Bella has moved to Texas, [Gigi] knows they’re still going to see each other all the time,” the insider says. “Their family is extremely close so it’s not going to change anything. Bella seems happier than she’s ever been and that’s all that matters to Gigi.”
Gigi, who is also a model, noted via her Instagram Story in August 2023 that Bella had “just finished a long and intense treatment for Lyme disease.” She added that she was “so proud” of her sister and looked forward to her modeling comeback “whenever she feels ready.”
Later that month, Bella shared a candid Instagram post opening up about her Lyme journey.
“Living in this state, worsening with time and work while trying to make myself, my family and the people who support me proud, had taken a toll on me in ways I can’t really explain. To be that sad and sick with the most blessings/privilege/opportunity/love around me was quite possibly the most confusing thing ever,” she wrote. “One thing I want to express to you all is that 1: I am OK and you do not have to worry, and 2: I wouldn’t change anything for the world. If I had to go through all of this again, to get here, to this exact moment I’m in right now, with all of you, finally healthy, I would do it all again. It made me who I am today.”
Bella was first diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2012 when she was 16. Her mother, Yolanda Hadid, also struggles with the tick-borne illness, as does her brother, Anwar Hadid.
While giving a speech at the Global Lyme Alliance Gala in October 2015, Yolanda, 60, pledged to “walk to the end of the earth to find a cure” so Bella and Anwar, 24, “can live a healthy life that you deserve.”