Bella Hadid admitted that she felt “disposable” when she had to turn down “every job” for a year due to her Lyme disease treatment.
In a new interview with Vogue Italia, the model told her sister, Gigi Hadid, how she tried to separate herself from her work.
The supermodel was diagnosed with Lyme disease at the age of 16 and has required treatment several times since then.
Before returning to Paris Fashion Week and the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, Bella underwent treatment again last September.
Bella Hadid is still searching for herself.
The 29-year-old model and her 30-year-old sister were interviewed by Vogue Italia, where they talked about finding a healthier balance between work and private life and how they learned to say “no.” Bella admitted that it wasn’t easy for her.
In the article, published on 23 February, the actress from The Beauty and Yellowstone said that due to her treatment for Lyme disease, she had to turn down “almost all work for a whole year”. This was emotionally draining because, as she put it, “you feel disposable”.
At the same time, Bella said she now feels much more in tune with herself. “Being able to be in Texas with my horses and my dog, living a real life, and then coming back to work makes it all so much more complete,” she said.
She explained that her previous attitude to work was “unsustainable” and that she learned in therapy how to separate her own human value from her professional successes.
“For a long time, saying no to a job was like asking, ‘Who am I to say no to anything?'” Bella said. “Then I had to let that go and think, ‘I think people know my heart, my personality and who I am well enough that I can let that go and really take on work that is made with and for people I love, trust, support and respect. And that’s enough. And I am enough.”
Bella was diagnosed with tick-borne Lyme disease at the age of 16, which causes her severe joint pain, anxiety, “brain fog,” extreme fatigue and other symptoms. Her brother, Anwar Hadid, and her mother, Yolanda Hadid, have also been diagnosed with the disease.
During her years in the spotlight, Bella has regularly reported that she needs treatment from time to time.
In August 2023, she wrote on Instagram: “Living with this condition, which has gotten worse with time and work, while trying to make my family and those who support me proud, has taken a toll on me in ways I can’t really explain. Being so sad and sick while surrounded by so many blessings/advantages/opportunities/love was perhaps the most confusing thing.”
She wrote that after an intensive treatment programme, she was “finally healthy”.
On 17 September 2025, she reported on her condition again, sharing a photo from a hospital bed on Instagram with the caption: “Sorry for always disappearing, I love you all.”
Yolanda provided further insight into her daughter’s condition when she shared several Instagram photos showing her youngest daughter hooked up to an IV.
“You fought through another month of treatment, and I know that God is good, miracles happen every day 🙏 I pray for a speedy recovery, my love. This illness has brought us to our knees, but we always get back up. We will continue to fight for better days together. You are a survivor… I love you so much, you tough fighter,” wrote the former Bravo star.
source: https://people.com/bella-hadid-disposable-turning-down-jobs-lyme-disease-treatment-11912532
(C) Lyme Borreliosis Foundation
