Bella Hadid Opens Up About her Struggle With Mental Health

Bella Hadid looks flawless in the selfies she posts on Instagram and has us mesmerized in every runway show she walks. But while attending the Vogue Fashion Festival in Paris today, the famous model shared that she struggles balancing her emotional and mental wellbeing with her career.

“I would cry every single morning, I would cry during my lunch breaks, I would cry before I slept,” she said, referring to the early days of her demanding career.

Hadid was the “top model new generation” speaker at this morning’s session, and the recognizable Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show veteran admits she didn’t feel her best on that particular runway. Her first time feeling completely confident modelling lingerie was actually at Rihanna’s last Savage x Fenty RTW show in September. “Rihanna’s amazing. For me, that was the first time on a runway that I felt really sexy,” Hadid said in the Potocki hotel in Paris. It’s no surprise that Rihanna’s inclusive show had models feeling empowered, especially considering Rihanna directed them to walk whichever way they wanted.

It’s normal for the 23-year-old to be working alongside elite designers and photographers—Tom Ford is just one of the many—and she acknowledged how grateful she is for her stance in the industry. But although the model is experienced and known worldwide, she isn’t excused from the emotions we all feel. “I feel guilty for being able to live this incredible life, have the opportunities that I do, but somehow still be depressed. It doesn’t make sense,” she confessed.

However, Hadid is turning her experience around, using it as an opportunity to create alleyways communicating her feelings. “Showing people what I support, the things that I love in my life that I’m passionate about, is something that’s very important to me, so I hope that in the future I can show that more. For a while I just shut it off, but I’m back.”