7 Shocking Secrets About Young Bella Hadid’s Life Before Superstardom
Isabella Khair Hadid: Comprehensive Young Profile
Before becoming the fashion icon known simply as Bella, the model was an ambitious athlete and a quiet presence in the world of reality television. Her full biography provides the foundational context for her surprising early life.
- Full Name: Isabella Khair Hadid
- Date of Birth: October 9, 1996
- Place of Birth: Washington, D.C., U.S.
- Raised In: Santa Barbara, California
- Parents: Mohamed Hadid (Real Estate Developer) and Yolanda Hadid (Former Model and Reality TV Star)
- Siblings: Gigi Hadid (Older Sister), Anwar Hadid (Younger Brother), Alana Hadid (Paternal Half-Sister), Marielle Hadid (Paternal Half-Sister), and Aydan Nix (Paternal Half-Sister, recently revealed)
- Early Career Focus: Nationally ranked competitive equestrian (Horseback Riding)
- High School: Malibu High School (Graduated)
- Early Modeling Start: Age 16, with a commercial project for Flynn Skye
- Agency Signing: IMG Models (August 2014)
- Higher Education: Briefly attended Parsons School of Design in New York City to study photography before dropping out to pursue modeling full-time
The Regret: Why She Wishes She Kept Her Ancestors’ Nose
One of the most candid and surprising revelations about young Bella Hadid came from a recent high-profile interview with Vogue, where she addressed rumors of extensive cosmetic surgery. The supermodel admitted to only one surgical procedure: a nose job she received at the incredibly young age of 14.
The decision, she has since stated, is one of her biggest regrets. Bella expressed a deep wish that she had not altered her natural features, specifically saying, "I wish I had kept the nose of my ancestors." This statement is a profound reflection on her Palestinian heritage, which she has increasingly embraced in her adult life.
This revelation provides a crucial context for her early years, highlighting the intense pressure and insecurity she felt as a teenager growing up in the spotlight, often feeling like the "uglier sister" compared to Gigi Hadid. The surgery, performed before her modeling career officially took off, was a direct result of these deep-seated self-esteem issues.
Olympic Dreams: The Equestrian Career That Almost Was
Long before she was walking for high-fashion designers like Karl Lagerfeld and becoming the face of Dior Beauty, Bella Hadid was a dedicated, nationally ranked competitive horseback rider. Her passion for equestrian sports began at age three, and she spent her teenage years training relentlessly in the showring.
This was not a casual hobby; it was a serious career path. Bella had a clear goal: to compete for the United States in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Her training was rigorous, often requiring her to balance high school at Malibu High School with the demands of an elite athletic schedule.
Unfortunately, her Olympic dreams were derailed by her ongoing battle with Lyme Disease, which was diagnosed in 2013 when she was still a teenager. The debilitating symptoms and chronic fatigue made the physical demands of Olympic-level eventing impossible to maintain. This forced pivot led her to move to New York City and enroll at Parsons School of Design, a move that ultimately paved the way for her modeling career. Interestingly, her passion for horses has recently resurfaced, with the model being named the 2024 NCHA Limited Age Event (LAE) Rookie of the Year in the cutting horse arena, showcasing her return to the competitive world of riding.
Reality TV Star: Her Unfiltered Life on RHOBH
Many fans forget that Bella Hadid’s first exposure to the public eye was not on a runway, but on Bravo’s hit reality show, *The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills* (RHOBH). From 2011 to 2016, she and her sister Gigi Hadid appeared frequently alongside their mother, Yolanda Hadid (then Yolanda Foster), showcasing their privileged but often scrutinized lives in California.
These appearances offer a rare, unfiltered glimpse into her life as a high school student and aspiring model. The show captured everything from family dinners and workouts to the stressful preparations for photoshoots. Crucially, the show also documented a sensitive teenage moment that was later scrutinized by the public: the fallout from her DUI arrest at age 16. An episode showed her mother, Yolanda, dealing with the consequences of the incident, which occurred while Bella was in Spain. This early exposure to public scrutiny was an intense and unusual start for a future supermodel, providing a unique springboard that many of her peers did not have.
Her reality TV past, combined with her mother’s guidance as a former model, laid the groundwork for her professional career, which officially began at 16 with a commercial for Flynn Skye and solidified with her signing to IMG Models in 2014.
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