Bella Hadid is navigating “severe isolation and depression” while battling chronic illness.
The model opened up about her mental health “hardships” in a lengthy Instagram Story statement on Thursday.
“I wish it wasn’t so intimidating and difficult to explain the pain / exhaustion / fatigue / anxiety / brain fog / insecurities that come with chronic illness / co-infections / mental health trauma etc.,” she told her followers.
After describing what is “impossible [for others] to fully understand,” the 29-year-old shared some bright spots in her day — a fuzzy poncho and gifts from a friend.
Hadid, however, followed this up with a tearful selfie.
“Haven’t been able to shake off this flare up,” she captioned the close-up shot. “Slept 11 hours. Again… Took every protocol from any and every doctor I’ve ever seen. Still nothing helping.”
Hadid, who was “out of breath walking to the kitchen,” quipped that her “last two” brain cells were “beefing with each other.”
She continued, “I took a shower without fainting tho… so again, if you know you know … that felt like a really big accomplishment for me today.”
Hadid followed up the emotional uploads with an apology for “startling” or “worrying” any of her fans with her “jarring” reality.
“This truly is an every day, ebb and flow for me for the past 15 years,” she clarified. “I just had an overwhelming amount of emotion over not being able to do the things my mind is capable of setting, but my body is not capable of doing.”
The post concluded, “Every day is a new day and tomorrow I’m hoping for, God willing, a better one. I love you guys so much thank you for all of your support. I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m truly grateful. I love you guys so much.”
Hadid was diagnosed with Lyme disease as a teenager.
She frequently gives insight into her years-long battle with the illness on social media — and posted alarming photos of herself at the hospital last year.
“I’m sorry I always go MIA I love you guys,” Hadid captioned the September 2025 Instagram carousel.
Gigi Hadid shared her hope in the comments for her sister to feel “as strong and good as [she] deserve[s],” while their mom, Yolanda Hadid, dubbed Bella a “Lyme warrior.”
During a 2023 hospitalization, Bella wrote that being “sad and sick with the most blessings / privilege / opportunity / love around [her] was quite possibly the most confusing thing ever.”
Yolanda, who revealed Bella’s Lyme disease struggles in 2015, also suffers from the illness, as does her son, Anwar Hadid.
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