After months of us trying to find the receipts to Bella Hadid and The Weeknd‘s break up, we finally hear Bella’s side of it all in Teen Vogue.
“When I love somebody, I love them with my whole heart,” said the 20-year-old model in a revealing new interview with Teen Vogue for their “Love Issue”. She admits that her breakup with The Weeknd last year did take a toll on her, even if she remained calm and collected in public and on social media.
“It was my first breakup—or second, next to the horse—and so public,” Bella, who is also an accomplished equestrienne, said. “As an outsider, you might think I handled it so well, but it’s always in your heart, and you always feel it very heavily.”
She added, “It’ll be hard for a while. Love hurts, but you have to pull through.”
The horse she was referring to, meanwhile, is named Lego and he actually came along long before The Weeknd did. He was her favorite competition horse, she explained, “my main, my ride or die,” but her family sold him after she was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which forced her to give up her goal of training for the Olympics.
Bella has been open about her battle with Lyme disease, an infection caused by a tick bite that is treatable but can trigger severe health consequences. Mom Yolanda Hadid also suffered from the disease. So we think the girl knows a thing or two about keeping strong and taking care of herself.
She nailed her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut last November – a debut she had to make when The Weeknd was right there performing. Like, when she was walking.
Bella broke the internet when a picture of her rocking the Victoria’s Secret lingerie on stage while her ex performed next to her surfaced. The momentous occasion was somewhat the dream of anyone who’s ever been through a breakup. Angel wings? Got it. Hot bod in lingerie? Got it. You-Can’t-Touch-This stare? GOT IT.
She told E! News that at the time she and the singer, who’s now dating Selena Gomez, remained close friends despite the split. “There is no awkwardness. He is my best friend, and I am excited because I am walking during his performance,” Bella said.
It’s unclear whether he had stepped out with Selena yet when Bella talked to Teen Vogue. Either way, she maturely and gracefully said, “I’ll always respect him, and I’ll always love him. Sometimes you want to be sad about it or handle it differently, but at the end of the day, you never want to burn a bridge that you’ve fought so hard to build.”
You do you, Bella. You do you.
