Bella Hadid – An American Model, and Model of The Year 2016 (2026)

Who is Bella Hadid?

Bella Hadid, born Isabella Khair Hadid on October 9, 1996, in Washington, D.C., is an American model widely recognized as one of the fashion industry’s most influential faces. She rose to global prominence after being named “Model of the Year” in 2016 and has remained a fixture in high fashion ever since.

Bella is the daughter of real estate developer Mohamed Hadid and former fashion model Yolanda Hadid. She grew up alongside her siblings, model Gigi Hadid and musician Anwar Hadid, and has six half-siblings. Of Palestinian-Dutch-American heritage, Bella holds American nationality and stands 5 feet 9 inches tall.

Early Career and Rise to Fame

Bella began modeling at age 16, landing her first commercial project with Flynn Skye. She went on to appear in early editorial projects such as Smoking Hot by Holly Copeland and Swan Sittings by Lesa Amoore, and modeled campaigns for Chrome Hearts in 2013 and 2014.

Her breakthrough came in August 2014, when she signed with IMG Models and made her New York Fashion Week debut walking for Desigual. From there, her runway career accelerated rapidly:

• Walked in Los Angeles for Tom Ford (2015)
• Appeared in shows for Diane von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Jeremy Scott, and Marc Jacobs
• Modeled at Paris Fashion Week for Balmain
• Made her Chanel debut in Rome at the label’s Métiers d’Art show (December 2015)

She has since been featured on the covers of Jalouse, V Magazine, Teen Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, W Magazine, and Vogue Girl Japan, among others. Bella has also served as a brand ambassador for Bulgari accessories, TAG Heuer, and Dior Beauty.

Notable honors include:

• Model of the Year — Daily Front Row’s Fashion Los Angeles Awards
• Model of the Year — GQ Men of the Year Awards
• Named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People (2023)
• Ranked among the world’s highest-paid models, earning an estimated $19 million in 2023

Modeling Career: Hiatus and Comeback

Bella largely stepped back from the runway for about two years starting in late 2022, citing burnout. She made her return at the Saint Laurent Womenswear Spring/Summer 2025 show during Paris Fashion Week on September 24, 2024, and later rejoined the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show as a veteran model alongside original Angels Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio.

2026 has marked a major comeback year for Bella:

• Became the face of Prada’s Spring/Summer 2026 “Urban Beaches” campaign under co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons
• Named Prada’s first global beauty ambassador
• Became the first campaign star for Revolve
• Named the new face of activewear brand Alo (August 2026)

Health Journey

Bella has been open about her long battle with Lyme disease, first diagnosed in her teens. In 2023, she disclosed she had taken four months of medical leave for daily treatment and has also spoken about achieving sobriety from alcohol during this period.

Her health challenges resurfaced in 2025, with hospitalizations for a hernia in July and a Lyme disease flare-up in September. Despite this, she made a surprise runway return at the Saint Laurent Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 show on September 29, 2025, just weeks after being hospitalized and later walked the 2025 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, thanking fans for their concern as she continued rebuilding her stamina.

Business Ventures

Beyond modeling, Bella has built a growing portfolio of wellness and beauty brands:

Kin Euphorics: Co-founded in 2021, this non-alcoholic, adaptogen-infused beverage line reflects her focus on sober-curious living.

Orebella: Launched in May 2024, this alcohol-free perfume brand was created with fragrance houses Firmenich and Robertet and features a signature shake-to-activate oil-based formula. It expanded to the UK’s Selfridges in May 2025 and has since opened pop-ups across the Middle East, including Kuwait and Dubai.

Acting Career

Bella made her scripted-acting debut with a cameo in Yellowstone’s fifth season in 2024. Her first major acting role followed in Ryan Murphy’s FX/Hulu body-horror series The Beauty, which premiered on January 21, 2026. The star-studded cast includes Evan Peters, Rebecca Hall, and Ashton Kutcher, with Bella playing Ruby, a supermodel character caught in a plot centered on a sexually transmissible “drug” that grants perfect beauty at a horrifying cost.

Activism

Bella has become an increasingly vocal advocate for Palestinian rights, especially since the Israel-Gaza war escalated in October 2023. She and Gigi joined the Artists4Ceasefire movement that same month, and in 2024 the sisters pledged $1 million toward Palestinian humanitarian relief, divided among four organizations supporting children and families.

She has also used red-carpet appearances to highlight her heritage, notably wearing a red-and-white keffiyeh-style dress at Cannes in May 2024.

Personal Life and Relationships

Bella dated Canadian singer The Weeknd starting in 2015, appearing in his “In the Night” music video in December of that year and attending the 2016 Grammys together. The couple split in November 2016, reconciled in 2018, and ultimately broke up again in 2019.

She later dated art director Marc Kalman, confirming their relationship publicly in July 2021 after keeping it private for nearly a year. The pair split in spring 2023 after almost two years together, around the same time Bella stepped back from work to focus on her health.

Bella began dating professional cutting-horse rider Adan Banuelos in late 2023, going Instagram official in February 2024. The relationship prompted a major lifestyle shift. She relocated full-time to the Fort Worth, Texas area starting in March 2024. The relationship saw turbulence in 2026, including a reported breakup in January, a quiet reconciliation by February. The reports by July that Bella considered herself single despite the two having been seen together in Aspen weeks earlier.

Family Updates

In May 2025, Bella and Gigi publicly revealed a previously unknown half-sister, Aydan Nix. Aydan was born from their father Mohamed Hadid’s earlier relationship with Terri Hatfield Dull. The sisters had privately connected with Aydan in late 2023, and she has since grown close with the family.

Bella’s older half-sister, Alana Hadid, married Ross Williams in a ceremony at their father’s Los Angeles home. Bella also became an aunt in September 2020, when Gigi and Zayn Malik welcomed daughter Khai.

Net Worth

Bella Hadid has built substantial wealth through her modeling career, brand partnerships, and business ventures. Her net worth is estimated at around $12 million.

Recognition

Bella’s influence extends well beyond the runway. She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2023 and has consistently ranked among the world’s highest-paid models.