You know them as supermodel sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid, and they are the industry's most
talked-about duo.
Whether it's Fashion Week, the Victoria's Secret catwalk, or the trendiest Hollywood
hot spots, these two really know how to steal a scene.
But from their rocky love lives, to their battles with serious health issues, there's
more to these sisters than catwalks and cover issues.
We're sorting out the rumors and dishing out some fast facts to reveal the untold truth
of Bella and Gigi Hadid.
"Paparazzi are crazy but we accept them in LA.
We have an understanding.
Did you guys get that?"
Those aren't quite their real names
The girls were born to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Hadid, and Mohamed
Hadid, a renowned real estate developer based in California.
And while their names may be different on their birth certificates, the sisters have
been going by their nicknames since they were kids.
Bella's given first name, Isabella, might not be a total surprise.
But Gigi's first name is actually quite different:
"Does anyone ever call you by your real name?
Jelena?
From this point on, should I call you Jelena.
Uh, if you want to, but GiGi's fine"
Though their parents divorced nearly twenty years ago, the sisters have maintained strong
relationships with their mom and dad.
"To have two sisters together in one place, that's really fabulous"
The perfect family mix
Mom Yolanda is a native of the Netherlands.
At age 16, she was discovered by the Ford Modeling Agency and traveled the world as
a successful model for more than 15 years.
"My girls are raised very Dutch.
We're very kind of humble, black and white, say it as it is.
Yet we're very polite"
Their father, Mohamed, is of Palestinian descent.
According to Fortune, the real estate mogul has purchased Ritz-Carlton hotels in New York
and Washington and once "beat out Donald Trump" to purchase a resort site in Aspen, Colorado.
"I feel very lucky and very proud to be of dual heritage"
Hands-on activism
As of 2018, Gigi has been working on behalf of UNICEF's efforts in Bangladesh.
The model has also opened up about her father's traumatic experience as a refugee, telling
CR Fashion Book,
"My dad was a Syrian refugee.
He was born in Nazareth, Palestine, and the week that his family was kicked out of their
home, they moved to Syria.
I think he was also about one week old.
It's crazy to think about what our families did for us."
But the supermodel didn't just pose for the 'Gram.
She also utilized her massive social media influence to dish out important information
about the refugee crisis.
"Bye...say bye… thank you!"
"Thank you!"
They didn't want to model
"I wanted to only be a professional horseback rider when I was growing up"
Before the sisters became supermodels, they each had their eyes on a different prize.
In 2013, Gigi moved from California to New York to attend The New School and pursue a
degree in criminal psychology.
She later posted on her Insta story,
"I think that if I would have had a career in that, I would've still ended up working
in something creative instead."
As for Bella, she went to college intent on studying photography but dropped out after
signing with IMG Models.
She told Glamour,
"I started modeling and was working almost every day, learning more with photographers
on set than I was in school."
"Oh no the cheese got stuck to the top.
This is like my usual night"
Struggles with their health
When Gigi's career first started taking off, her athletic figure caused a stir in an industry
where thin has always been in.
"I'm not gonna be extremely skinny I just don't want to do that.
I've always been an athlete I've always had a certain body type."
But in the years since, Gigi has shed some pounds, prompting shade from those who now
say she's "too thin."
In February 2018, Gigi revealed that she suffers from an autoimmune disease, tweeting: "When
I started at 17 I was not yet diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease; those of you who called
me 'too big for the industry' were seeing inflammation & water retention due to that."
But Gigi isn't the only one in the family battling a difficult diagnosis.
While mom Yolanda revealed she's been suffering from lyme disease since 2012, Bella was diagnosed
with the disease herself, in 2015.
"It's been really hard for me because I'm the only one that doesn't really understand
it, and that's been really hard for me...where my sister, my brother and my mom have all
struggled through it"
Bella told Glamour,
"It starts with brain fog; for a while I couldn't put sentences together.
I'm really tired a lot.
[…] It's hard, but I push through, because at the end of the day, if you're not working,
somebody else is."
"It doesn't matter what anybody else thinks, it's only about what you think about yourself"
Bella and The Weeknd
R&B superstar, The Weeknd, and model-girlfriend Bella started dating in 2015.
"You've gone public with I think the coolest guy in the world, The Weeknd, what drew you
to each other?"
"Um, you know I, I don't know."
At the time, The Weeknd told Rolling Stone,
"If I'd met someone two years ago, I probably would've f---ed it up.
But I'm more, how do I say it? clear-thinking now."
But their relationship hasn't been a smooth ride.
A source told E! News the two took a break in 2015 due to busy schedules, and they appeared
to be on-again, off-again before calling it quits in 2016.
The Weeknd went on to date Selena Gomez for a minute, but according to Us Weekly, it seems
he and Bella may be "on again" as of August 2018.
Gigi and Zayn
Ever since December 2015, Gigi's had One Direction's Zayn Malik wrapped around her finger, and
she isn't shy about discussing their on-again, off-again love affair.
She told The Evening Standard,
"We cook a lot together, and do art together, and we're each other's best friends."
"We're really interested in the same things and it was really easy"
Gigi also appeared in Malik's "Pillowtalk" video, but this coupling hasn't been all rainbows
and butterflies.
They broke up in March 2018, but by June, Gigi was posting to her Instagram Stories,
giving fans hope that this relationship may be on again.
"How boring is it to be with a couple that they're kissing and you have nobody to kiss"
Sisterly bond
Gigi and Bella haven't let their careers make them rivals.
Instead, the sisters remain closer than ever.
"Are you ready for this Gigi?"
"I know the whole rap!"
"So do I, you're not coming in!"
Bella told Glamour in 2016,
"We've always been close.
We have the same voice, the same mannerisms.
Sometimes we'll finish each other's sentences, or we'll be the only people laughing."
The sisters told Vogue they often spend time together at Gigi's apartment in New York and
enjoy working together.
Gigi told the mag,
"All I do my entire life, the purpose, is just to watch over Bella.
She makes me so proud and I would do anything for her."