In today’s world, you would be hard-pressed to find somebody who hadn’t heard of the Hadids. Raised in Malibu, California, Gigi, Bella, and Anwar were always destined for stardom, and it’s unfolding before our eyes. Though we know them as models, the three children of Yolanda Foster and Mohamed Hadid are so much more than that! Gigi is the most recognizable family member, owing perhaps to her massive success in the fashion world, but each Hadid has their own lane, and from what we can see, they’re pretty good at supporting each other the way families should! Even though their life of luxury jets, Beverly Hills mansions, and A-list partners is wildly different from what most of us know, these guys are really just human. They have hobbies, suffer sickness, eat burgers, and get butterflies in their tummies, just like the rest of us! Here are 15 things you probably didn’t know about the Hadids.
15 Gigi’s Name Isn’t Gigi
This fact is making the rounds on the internet, but unless you’re a hardcore Gigi fan, you probably didn’t realize that the blonde it-girl’s name is actually written a little differently on her birth certificate! Born in 1995, Gigi was given the name Jelena Noura Hadid at birth. So where on earth did Gigi come from? Well, Yolanda used to call her that as a little girl, and it’s been said that she came up with the nickname because her own mother (Gigi’s grandma) used to call Yolanda that. We don’t know how you get Gigi out of Yolanda, but anyways! Then when Gigi went to school, a girl in her class was called Helena. This stressed everybody out to the max, so Yolanda recommended that the teacher refer to Jelena as Gigi instead. As pretty as the name Jelena is, Gigi looks much better on a Vogue cover if you ask us!
14 Bella Is An Equestrian
All of the Hadid kids have a way with horses, however middle child Bella is a certified equestrian. She’s even said in the past that while most models turn to yoga to ease some of the stress, she prefers horses when it comes to getting Zen. “You have to put your ego aside and concentrate on making the horse do the things you want it to do, and move in the way you want it to move,” she said of the sport. It was even at the point where Bella was training for the 2016 Olympics! She started riding horses at the ripe old age of three, and was interested in three events at the Rio De Janeiro Olympics: dressage, jumping, and eventing. Bella has also said that her very first break up in life was with a horse—her best buddy Lego, who she had to sell when she was 16.
13 The Whole Family Is Athletic
It obviously takes a fair bit of co-ordination and athleticism to control a horse, but that isn’t the only sporty thing the Hadids can do! Gigi loves volleyball, and was even the captain of the varsity volleyball team at Malibu High School. We know—Gigi is definitely the sports captain type! She’s even said that when she’s feeling down, she thinks about what her high school coaches would have to say about her performance, and it puts her head back in the right place. She even still gets text messages from them! She isn’t one for mindlessly doing squats to stay in shape, and would rather do an interactive sport like boxing in a New York gym. We guess that’s a good way to take out her frustrations with creepy paparazzi and online haters! Anwar is sporty too, and doesn’t mind a bit of football, soccer or basketball.
12 Mohamed Hadid Is Super Rich
When you see Gigi on the Victoria’s Secret Runway, and Bella and Anwar killing it with their own modeling shoots, you know that these kids have to be cashed up. But in actual fact, the money was there long before they became household names! Their father, Mohamed Hadid, is the owner of a super successful development company called Hadid Development, and is said to be worth around $100 million. Yolanda was a top model in the 1980s, obviously earning a bit of mulah for herself, and so before we really knew who they were, we were seeing them on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The house (mansion) they lived in could be seen on the show, and let’s just say it was a tad different from the regular dwelling of an aspiring model. Having said that, Yolanda and Mohamed instilled a great work ethic in their children. Bella even once worked in a smoothie bar!
11 Gigi Began Modeling As A Baby
Haters like to point out that Gigi hasn’t been in the industry that long—at least, nowhere near long enough to start being referred to as an icon or a legend. While it’s true that she has a bit more legwork to do before she earns that status, modeling isn’t exactly a new thing for her. Most models are discovered in their early teens (maybe 14 or 15) but Gigi was discovered at the age of two. That right there is how you know that you’ve got it! Of course, it helped that she attended preschool with the daughter of Paul Marciano from Guess, but he still noticed her out of all the children in that classroom. She began shooting ads for Guess Baby and Guess Kids, and kept it up for a few years before turning her attention to school. Since mama Yolanda was a model, we guess this was bound to happen!
10 Anwar Hadid Is A Family Man
He isn’t even legally allowed to drink yet, but youngest Hadid Anwar (whose name means “luminous” in Arabic, FYI) is already a hot topic. We’re just going to put it straight on the table: the guy kind of looks like Elvis, and we don’t know how to feel about it. You’d think that being raised in such luxury would turn you into a brat (best-case scenario), but Anwar actually seems like a decent, grounded human being. More than anything, his parents and older sisters have taught him the importance of family, and although he lived primarily with his mom, he’s very close to all of the other Hadids. In an interview with Nylon, he gushed about his fam without holding back. “My family is my foundation. My sisters are awesome; they probably taught me everything I ever need to know about girls,” he said. If only all sisters could do this!
9 Gigi Doesn’t Eat Like A Regular Model
Okay, so obviously when you look at Gigi, you would totally guess that she follows a pretty strict diet. She’s totally in shape, and her skin glows radiantly, so like everybody, you probably want to know just what the heck she’s eating to get such amazing results. It turns out that she opts for healthy and satisfied instead of starving, which we like a lot! “In general I like fresh ingredients. I'm not a salad and meat type of person; to me, that's boring,” she said. It’s so nice to know that other people feel this way too! “I also like making tomato soup from scratch with grilled cheese dippers on the side. If I can cook it with ingredients that I know are good, then I'll eat anything. Carbs, or whatever!" The fact that Gigi eats carbs (and is rumored to be particularly fond of burgers) is like music to our ears!
8 Yolanda and Mohamed Came From Humble Beginnings
By the time they had their three kids, Yolanda and Mohamed were pretty financially set. However, in their earlier years, things were different. Their children may have grown up amongst diamonds and a Maserati or two, but they each came from very humble beginnings, and had to work hard for everything they acquired. At the age of seven, Yolanda lost her father in a car accident. She grew up on a farm in Holland, and had to start work at the age of 12 to support her family. As for Mohamed, he immigrated to the USA from Palestine and had nothing. But things turned around as the pair worked hard. Yolanda was discovered at 16 when she modeled for her friend Frans Molenaar, and was sent to work all around the world. Mohamed built his company, they found each other, and that was it. The rest is a lot more sparkly!
7 Gigi Studied Criminal Psychology
That’s right—Gigi isn’t just a pretty face! Obviously, Gigi could never study again for a day in her life (or work, for that matter), and she’d still have more than enough money to survive in style. But life isn’t always about surviving. Gigi knows that it’s about living and doing what you love, and to her, that’s studying criminal psychology. She enrolled at the New School in New York in fall 2013, and this kind of degree will help her to be able to spot a sociopath or a criminal clearly. You have to admit, even if nothing comes of the degree, that’s a pretty handy skill to have. We would assume that she wouldn’t end up working as a profiler with the police, but you never know! In the past, Gigi has said, "It's not just OK anymore to model until you're 25 and then stop and be a housewife."
6 Bella Was Going To Be A Photographer
Gigi isn’t the only Hadid who has interests beyond the world of fashion and modeling! Before modeling came into the picture, Bella was eyeing a career in photography. “There wasn’t really one time in my life where I was like, ‘I want to be a model!’” she said. “It was more Gigi’s thing.” Bella’s obviously acquired a bit of a taste for being in front of the lens rather than behind it, and although it took her a little while to adjust to being exposed, she’s actually enjoying it as time goes on. “I do like being in front of the camera more and more. Having experience behind it has taught me about lighting and angles, how to move, and what looks good and what doesn’t.” We suppose Gigi was right in saying that it’s important for models to have other interests, or they’ll have to stop one day and just stay home.
5 Gigi Has A Thyroid Disease
As we’ve already mentioned, Gigi seems like she’s the epitome of health. Not only does she look fit and healthy, but with all the traveling she does and the fast-paced, crazy lifestyle she leads, she’d have to be in okay shape mentally and emotionally to keep up with it. She is healthy in some ways, but she actually has a thyroid disease known as Hashimoto’s disease. Basically, this is an autoimmune condition in which the immune cells attack the thyroid gland, and harm the thyroid’s ability to produce hormones. This can lead to a whole range of side effects, spanning from emotional issues to heart problems, but Gigi is showing no signs of rolling over and feeling sorry for herself. It’s helpful to remember that celebrities are people too, and sometimes, they have to deal with the ugly side of life. We’re sure the rest of the family have supported Gigi in her sickness!
4 Bella Isn’t A Real Brunette
Both Bella and Gigi are gorgeous, but they have strikingly different looks and vibes. Gigi is obviously the blonde bombshell kind of gal. Captain of the volleyball team, popular with everyone at school—you know the type! Bella, on the other hand, has said that she has a darker personality, and is more interested in things like photography. Her mother referred to her as an old soul, strong minded and with an ambitious spirit. Both girls are naturally blonde, but Bella decided to change things up a little. “…my sister being blonde and me being brunette, it’s a good separation. I put a blonde wig on and think it would be fun to go back, but I’m happy with my hair. Blondes are so angelic. My sister can get away with anything.” We’re not sure if we would mistake the two sisters if Bella still had blonde hair, since their facial structure is pretty different.
3 Gigi Still Gets Nervous
We couldn’t believe this one! Gigi seems like the ultimate representation of confidence as she steps out on the runway, but it turns out that she actually still gets butterflies. “I’m always nervous for every show I walk,” she told Status magazine. This is just yet another reminder that celebrities are people too! And hell yes, walking out in front of the whole world, including top fashion insiders and critics, would be scary AF. Both Gigi and Bella have had a few mishaps on the runway, and believe us, they were brutal. Gigi walked half a runway with certain body parts on display, and of course, given the nature of the show, nobody stopped her. Similarly, Bella fell onto her hands and knees, and rather than helping her up, the audience pulled out their smartphones to snap the stumble. But that’s what this industry entails, and the sisters ploughed through like superstars!
2 They're Related To The Jenners
The Hadids are well-known to be good buddies with Kendall and Kylie Jenner, often seen hanging around Hollywood together. But you probably didn’t know that the girls are actually linked through marriage. David Foster, who was married to Yolanda Foster, was previously married to a woman called Linda Thompson. Now, Linda Thompson was once married to Caitlyn Jenner, before she was married to Kris Jenner. So, the Hadids’ ex-stepfather and the Jenners’ biological father’s ex-ex-wife, used to be married. Don’t worry—our heads hurt too. The point is that the Jenners and the Hadids are definitely more than BFs. In another universe, without so many divorces (but with just enough to link them), they could be real sisters! We don’t have the brain power to work out what Gigi, Bella, and Anwar are to Kourtney, Kim, and Khloé Kardashian, but there is some connection there. These famous families have to stick together!
1 Several Family Members Suffer From Lyme Disease
You wouldn’t know it from the way the Hadid family in general have successful careers and crazy lives, but Yolanda, Bella, and Anwar suffer from Lyme Disease, a bacterial illness harms the heart, nervous system, joints, and skin. The disease even forced Bella to give up her dreams of competing in the 2016 Olympics, and has been affecting her life since she was only 16. Yolanda has been very vocal about the illness in the past, and was seen on her reality show RHOBH being treated for it. Despite their misfortune, the family still has to get out there and do their jobs. “She’s made a name for herself in the modeling industry while she struggles with symptoms of chronic Lyme every day,” Yolanda wrote of her daughter, who is often accused of not really being sick. So there you go! The Hadids are beautiful, real people who are tough to the bone!
