Bella Hadid reveals the impact Lyme disease has had on modelling, memory and her Olympic career

Hadid is currently starring in the Topshop Christmas campaign with Ella Richards and Malaika Firth
Bella Hadid in a photoshoot for ES Magazine
Ben Rayner
Miranda Bryant25 November 2015

Model Bella Hadid had hoped that next year she would be travelling to Rio to compete in equestrian events at the Olympics.

Instead, she fell ill with Lyme disease, a debilitating condition that forced her to give up her sporting dream and sell her beloved horse.

But after a “dark time” she has forged a new career on the catwalk - something she may never have done if she had not become ill.

Hadid, 19, made her debut for Tom Ford this year with her elder sister, Gigi, and is currently starring in the Topshop Christmas campaign with Ella Richards, Imaan Hammam and Malaika Firth.

Because of her illness, she sticks to a limited number of shows and avoids the party lifestyle - but says having early nights can be an advantage.

In an interview with ES Magazine, she said: “I used to be the last to go home at a party, now I’m the first ... You never really see Gisele out or around. She’s kind of untouchable.”

She added: “This was my first full season. I was so exhausted ... I only did 13 shows. Just request casting. The show girls do, like, 12 shows a day. I only did one or two shows a day and I was like: ‘I need to go to sleep.’ I thought, ‘OK, maybe I’m just a pussy.’

Topshop Unique at London Fashion Week

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She lives around the corner from her sister in New York’s East Village and is going out with R&B star The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, who she said is “really good about me being sick”.

Hadid and her brother Anwar found out they had Lyme disease after their mother Yolanda Foster, also a model, was diagnosed in 2012. It is thought they were all infected years earlier through contact with horses.

Bella with her older sister and fellow model, Gigi (Broadimage/REX)
Rex

The disease, carried by ticks, causes flu-like symptoms which can be treated if caught early. Undiagnosed, it can cause chronic symptoms lasting for years including fatigue, joint pain and cognitive impairment.

For Hadid, it resulted in a car accident which was reported as a drink-driving incident. She said: “It was when I first got sick. It was a dark time.

“It affected my memory so I suddenly wouldn’t remember how to drive to Santa Monica from Malibu where I lived. I couldn’t ride. I was just too sick. And I had to sell my horse because I couldn’t take care of it.”

But she said: “If I’d had the chance to succeed in riding, I might not have modelled. I didn’t know that I was going to get sick.”

She also spoke about growing up around A-list stars thanks to her music producer stepfather David Foster, who worked with Christina Aguilera, Michael Bublé and the late Whitney Houston. She said: “I was seven or eight, I was so unaware and oblivious to famous people. I don’t think I ever knew who they were. I would just say, ‘Hey, Whitney.’ She was just my stepdad’s friend.”

Read the full interview in ES Magazine out tomorrow and friday

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