Bella Hadid Reacts to Concern About Her "Stamina" During Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
Bella Hadid is happy to be back at work.
The supermodel detailed the mental toll she experienced while going through treatment for Lyme disease last year, which left her “having to say no to every job for almost a year.”
“I was emotional because you feel disposable,” Bella told her sister Gigi Hadid in an interview with Vogue Italy published Feb. 23, noting she learned to be content with focusing on her health. “How good I am doesn't have to do with the jobs that I say yes to. For so long, saying no to a job was, like, who was I to say no to anything?”
The 29-year-old added, “I had to kind of release it and be like, ‘I think people know my heart and my personality and who I am enough now that I can release that and really do the jobs that are with and for the people that I love and trust and support and respect.”
Beyond learning to let go of the insecurity she felt when receiving treatment for her Lyme disease—which she was diagnosed with in 2013 at 16 years old—Bella also praised Gigi for modeling what it means to have boundaries.
“It's so important, not only advocating for yourself, but for your friends and people around you,” she continued, “because that, for me, is such a huge part of the excitement and the energy that a work day brings to me, is being able to watch my friends be inspired.”
And it’s not just a new sense of peace that Bella has gained from her renewed work mindset—she has also found new career opportunities, like acting in Ryan Murphy’s new show The Beauty.
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“He made me go really outside of my comfort zone which made me have to release that control again,” she explained. “The control to look good or to do things perfectly.”
Plus, she was able to channel her physical and mental pain into her character.
“I was able to really manifest that in my body and put it into the art and to the work,” Bella shared. “That, for me, was really fulfilling to be able to express myself in that way.”
For a look back at Bella throughout her career, keep reading…
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Nude Ambition
Cannes Film Festival regular Bella Hadid wowed in a plunging naked dress at the 2024 event.
Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Cat's Meow
Bella left little to the imagination, as she strutted her stuff on the Stella McCartney runway during Paris Fashion Week in 2022, wearing a sheer catsuit.
Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Punk Princess
The supermodel wore a preppy-meets-punk look at the Thome Brown ready-to-wear spring/summer 2023 runway.
Estrop/Getty Images
Work of Art
At the Coperni Paris Fashion Week show in 2022, three technicians spray-painted a white layer of latex onto her bare skin. Within moments, a white slip dress appeared on Bella's body.
Vampy Vibes
During Milan Fashion Week in September 2022, the model snapped a series of selfies that served up a major Mortica Adams moment.
Kristy Sparow/Getty Images
Sheer Perfection
At the 2022 Ludovic De Saint-Sernin show, Bella rocked a black gown with velvet details.
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
Barely There Bella
For the 2022 Coperni Paris Fashion Week show, the supermodel sported a see-through blue dress.
Stunning Selfie
"Palestinian and Dutch," the runway star captioned a February 2021 bikini pic.
Legs For Days
The model sported a neon thong bikini while celebrating her 24th birthday in October 2020 on a boat in the ocean.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Fashion Forecast
While attending the Louis Vuitton Menswear Fall/Winter 2020-2021 show at Paris Fashion Week, the model-actress grabbed the attention of fans with her blue cropped halter top.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock
Met Gala Cutouts
At the 2019 Met Gala, the frequent attendee stood out in a bejeweled Moschino gown adorned with large cutouts.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Catwalk Queen
That same year, the supermodel sported a black catsuit by Alexander Wang, which featured faux nipple and belly button piercings.
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret
Plunging on the Pink Carpet
For the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2018, the star opted for a sheer gown with a plunging neckline and thigh-high slit.
Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images for Dior
A Supermodel in See-Through
Bella posed in a see-through design at the 2017 Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring Summer Bal Masque.
Shutterstock; Getty Images
Backless Bella
At the 2017 Met Gala, the star had all eyes on her in a backless Alexander Wang mesh catsuit.
Splash News
Out in Undies
For Rihanna's Met Gala after-party in 2017, Bella dressed up in pasties and underwear with a sheer overlay.
Marc Piasecki/WireImage
Sheer Star
At the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Paris, she confidently posed in this sheer metallic gown with a plunging geometric neckline and waist cutouts.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Hip-High Slit
The supermodel unforgettably donned this red Alexandra Gauthiere gown with a daring cut-to-there slit at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016.
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