Long a fixture on the catwalks and in fashion campaigns, Bella Hadid had to abruptly halt her career due to Lyme disease, diagnosed in her teens. Still recovering from intensive treatment in 2023, the 29-year-old American model now recounts how this forced break made her feel "disposable" in an industry where everything moves fast and faces are replaced in the blink of an eye.
A forced break that makes her feel "disposable"
In an interview with her sister Gigi, Bella explains that she had to turn down almost all contracts for nearly a year while undergoing intensive treatment for Lyme disease. She confides that she was overwhelmed by emotion, with the feeling of being "replaceable" as soon as she was no longer available to work.
This break forced her to question a deeply held belief: for a long time, she thought she didn't have the right to refuse a job, that her worth depended on the number of campaigns and fashion shows she accepted. Today, she asserts the opposite: that her "worth has nothing to do with jobs" and that she can choose projects aligned with her values and the people she "loves, trusts, and respects."
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Rethinking one's career and setting limits
Bella Hadid explains that the way she worked "for years wasn't sustainable," even mentioning the Covid period during which she barely slowed down. She now emphasizes the need to have a "real life" outside of fashion, particularly in Texas, with her horses and dog—a balance that makes her work more fulfilling.
She also pays tribute to Gigi, who showed her the importance of professional and personal boundaries. For Bella, defending her own needs, as well as those of her loved ones and colleagues, is part of the positive energy she wants to rediscover on set and during photo shoots. This new philosophy allows her to return to the industry with more perspective, without sacrificing her health.
From suffering to creation: a new challenge for an actress
This inner transformation was accompanied by an artistic shift: Bella landed a role in "The Beauty," Ryan Murphy's new series. The showrunner pushed her out of her comfort zone, notably by offering her a character far removed from the polished image of the perfect model, something she herself encouraged by asking him to make her appear more "tired" and imperfect on screen.
She explains that she channeled some of her physical and mental pain into the role, channeling years of suffering related to Lyme disease into her acting. For her, successfully transforming this ordeal into art is profoundly "gratifying," like a way of regaining control over a story that had long eluded her.
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By recounting her battle with Lyme disease and her feeling of being "disposable" when she could no longer work, Bella Hadid breaks the silence surrounding the vulnerability of models. Her choice to listen to her body, to say no, to refocus on the people she loves, and to transform pain into creativity marks a turning point: that of a woman who no longer defines herself solely by her profession, but by her resilience, her limitations, and her ability to reinvent herself.
