Bella Hadid opens up on feeling ‘disposable’ during Lyme treatment

WASHINGTON: Supermodel Bella Hadid has opened up about the emotional toll of stepping away from work while undergoing treatment for Lyme disease, revealing that she once felt “disposable” in the fashion industry after having to decline assignments for nearly a year, according to E! News.

In an interview, Bella spoke candidly with her sister Gigi Hadid about how her priorities shifted during her health battle. “I was emotional because you feel disposable,” Bella said, reflecting on the period when her illness forced her to say no to work commitments. “How good I am doesn’t have to do with the jobs that I say yes to. For so long, saying no to a job was, like, who was I to say no to anything?,” according to E! News.

Bella, 29, has been battling Lyme disease since she was diagnosed in 2013. She explained that stepping back from her fast-paced career helped her reassess her self-worth and professional boundaries.

Bella Hadid on Lyme Disease and Emotional Strain: A Supermodel’s Honest Reckoning with Self-Worth

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“I had to kind of release it and be like, ‘I think people know my heart and my personality and who I am enough now that I can release that and really do the jobs that are with and for the people that I love and trust and support and respect’,” she added.

The model also credited Gigi for setting an example when it comes to maintaining boundaries in the industry. “It’s so important, not only advocating for yourself, but for your friends and people around you”, Bella said. “Because that, for me, is such a huge part of the excitement and the energy that a work day brings to me, is being able to watch my friends be inspired”, according to E! News.

Beyond regaining a sense of balance, Bella revealed that she has embraced new opportunities, including stepping into the acting world with producer Ryan Murphy’s upcoming show ‘The Beauty’. “He made me go really outside of my comfort zone which made me have to release that control again”, she said. “The control to look good or to do things perfectly”, according to E! News.

Bella added that she channelled her physical and mental pain into her performance. “I was able to really manifest that in my body and put it into the art and to the work. That, for me, was really fulfilling to be able to express myself in that way.”

The supermodel said she is now happy to be back at work, with a renewed mindset focused on health, trust and meaningful collaborations. “I was able to really manifest that in my body and put it into the art and to the work,” Bella shared. “That, for me, was really fulfilling to be able to express myself in that way”, according to E! News. (ANI)