What to Know About the Model’s Longtime Diagnosis

Bella Hadid knows better than anyone that looks can be deceiving.

While gracing the covers of Vogue and Elle and working with major brands like Dior and Versace, the supermodel has struggled with Lyme disease. The tick-borne illness causes her severe joint pain, anxiety, brain fog, extreme tiredness and other symptoms that her mother, former The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Hadid, told PEOPLE can “bring you to your knees.”

“Life isn’t always what it looks like on the outside,” the model said in a speech at the 2016 Global Lyme Alliance gala, where she was honored. “And the hardest part of this journey is to be judged by the way you look instead of the way you feel.”

Since her diagnosis, Hadid has shared her journey on Instagram, which has included extended hospital stays and getting IV treatments while in hair and makeup. Her mother praised her daughter’s courage following her hospitalization in September 2025.

“You are relentless and courageous,” she wrote in an Instagram caption. “No child is suppose [sic] to suffer in their body with an incurable chronic disease. I admire your bravery and your willingness to keep fighting for health despite the failing protocols and countless setbacks you have faced.”

She continued, “There simply aren’t words big enough for the darkness, the pain, and the unknown hell you’ve lived through since your diagnosis in 2013. You didn’t really live, you learned how to exist inside the jail of your own paralyzed brain.”

Here’s everything to know about Bella Hadid’s Lyme disease diagnosis and what the supermodel has said about her health.

She was diagnosed with Lyme disease when she was 16 years old

Though Hadid wasn’t diagnosed until she was 16, she revealed in a series of Instagram Stories that her symptoms began two years earlier.

In reposts of diagrams and infographics about Lyme disease (which were originally shared by chef Joudie Kalla), the supermodel drew arrows to point out the nearly 30 symptoms she faces daily. Those included headaches, insomnia, light and noise sensitivity, brain fog, anxiety, confusion, joint pain, disordered eating, nausea and weight loss and gain.

“Every day I feel at least 10 of these attributes without fail,” Hadid wrote. “Since I was probably 14, but more aggressively when I turned 18.”

Her diagnosis ended her equestrian career

Modeling wasn’t always the plan for Bella. As a child, she enjoyed riding horses and competing in equestrian events. However, her diagnosis cut that career short, and she pivoted to modeling instead.

“It was really emotional for me,” she told The Telegraph in March 2017. “I thought I was going to ride horses for the rest of my life. But everything happens for a reason, that’s my motto now, and I’m so happy to be where I am.”

Though her condition kept her from pursuing the sport professionally, in recent years, Hadid has shared a few horseback riding posts as her health improved. In one August 2023 carousel, she thanked the trainers who allowed her to ride their “incredible horses” and noted that she loved the animals.

The condition causes her joint pain, brain fog and extreme tiredness

Hadid has experienced a multitude of symptoms during flare-ups from Lyme disease. However, her mother told PEOPLE in 2016 that they’re often hard for other people to see.

“There are rough days when you sleep 12 hours, you wake up at 11 and you can’t get out of bed, with severe joint pain, brain fog, anxiety,” Yolanda said. “There are a lot of symptoms that you can’t see from the outside but bring you to your knees on the inside.”

She added, “You can never get rested, that’s the best way to explain it. [Bella’s] been in bed for three days and she’s still tired tonight.”

Her mother and younger brother share her diagnosis 

Hadid isn’t the only one in her family who suffers from the debilitating illness. When Yolanda announced in 2015 that her daughter had been diagnosed, she also shared that she and her son, Anwar Hadid, had Lyme disease too.

“Watching my babies struggle in silence in order to support me in my journey, struck the deepest core of hopelessness inside of me,” she said at the 2015 Global Lyme Alliance gala. She was given the “Power of One” award at the event and declared it a “promise” that she would find a cure so her children could live the healthy lives they deserve.

She felt “healthy” after 100 days of “intense treatment” in 2023

In August 2023, Hadid shared on Instagram that she was “finally healthy” following over a decade of struggling with symptoms of Lyme disease. The supermodel attributed her health to “100+ days of Lyme, chronic disease, [co-infection] treatment.”

“Almost 15 years of invisible suffering, was all worth it if I’m able to, God willing, have a lifetime of spreading love from a full cup, and being able to truly be myself, For the first time ever,” she captioned a series of photos.

Hadid had taken a break from modeling to undergo the treatment, and her sister, Gigi Hadid, shared on her Instagram Stories that she couldn’t “wait 4 the comebaccckkkkkk.” 

“Just wanna touch on this post from last week,” her older sister wrote in a later post. “Bella just finished a long and intense treatment for Lyme disease … I’m so proud of her and excited for her ✨comeback✨ whenever she feels ready 😊x.”

But two years later, she was hospitalized once again

Almost exactly two years after sharing that she was healthy, Hadid appeared to be hospitalized once again, sharing a carousel of images on Instagram from a hospital bed and hooked up to IVs.

“I’m sorry I always go MIA I love you guys,” she wrote in the caption.

Among the photos were ones of the supermodel admiring the view outside her hospital window and one with tubes taped to her neck and head.

“❤️Lyme warrior,” her mom wrote in the comments.