You don’t have to be familiar with the modeling industry to know who Gigi Hadid is… She is arguably one of the most sought-after faces in the modeling world, having graced the covers of top magazines from Vogue to Elle and Guess.
Her popularity as a fashion model has seen her undertake other gigs like hosting award shows and appearing in the music videos of stars like Miguel and her dear friend Taylor Swift. Let’s explore details about her family as well as her romantic life.
Gigi Hadid Father – Mohamed Hadid
Gigi Hadid was born on April 23, 1995, in Los Angeles California to father Mohamed Hadid and mom, Yolanda Hadid (nee van den Herik) a Dutch American former model.
Gigi’s dad, Mohamed Hadid, born on 6 November 1948 in Nazareth is a successful real estate developer. He holds dual citizenship as a Jordanian-American and is of Palestinian descent.
Mohamed moved often as a child before his family finally settled in Washington DC where his own father Anwar Hadid worked at the Voice of America Headquarters. He was 14 years old at the time. Gigi’s father attended North Carolina State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In the 1970s he began his career by reselling restored classic cars in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. He then relocated to Greece where he began running a nightclub. With the proceeds from his nightclub business, Gigi’s father began investing in real estate in America.
Mohamed’s real estate empire grew rapidly and by the late 1980s, he was able to purchase Washington and New York’s Ritz-Carlton hotels for $150 million. He then expanded his Ritz Carlton operations to include Houston, Arizona, and Aspen where he reportedly beat Donald Trump to some choice parcels which he bought for about $43 million.
Some of the properties that Gigi Hadid’s father has come to develop include Bel Air’s Le Belvedere mansion, The Crescent Palace as well as a number of other luxury properties in Bel Air and Beverley Hills.
Today, his net worth is estimated at $200 million. Mohamed Hadid wrote his name in the history books in 1992 when he became the only Jordanian to participate in the Winter Olympics. He had represented his country in speed skiing.
Before marrying Yolanda (Gigi’s mom) in 1994, Gigi’s dad was first married to Mary Butler and together, they had two daughters; Alana Hadid and Marielle Hadid. His marriage with Butler ended in 1992. After divorcing Yolanda in 2000, Mohamed began a relationship with model and businesswoman Shiva Safai, 33 years younger than him. They became engaged in 2014.
Mohamed was in February 2018 accused of rape by a model Miranda Vee. While he accepted to have met with the young model, he denied the rape allegations which came after famous model Kate Upton had accused Mohamed’s friend Guess founder Paul Marziano of sexually assaulting her.
Mom – Yolanda Hadid
Gigi’s mom Yolanda was born on 11 January 1964 in Papendrecht, the Netherlands where she was also raised. She became a model by accident after she was asked by Dutch designer Frans Molenaar to replace one of the models at a show.
Yolanda proved to be a natural on the catwalk and ultimately caught the attention of Eileen Ford who signed her to the prestigious Ford Models, launching her modeling career.
She went on to model in Paris, Tokyo, Hamburg, Cape Town, Sydney, Milan, Los Angeles and New York. After a 15 year stint as a model, Yolanda decided to start a family after meeting Mohamed Hadid.
However, her marriage to Mohamed Hadid was short-lived, lasting only about 6 years. Yolanda on the Christmas Eve of 2001 became engaged to musician, composer and producer David Foster. They tied the knot in Beverly Hills, California on November 11th, 2011. Yolanda and Foster separated in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2017 after which Yolanda changed her surname back to Hadid.
Gigi’s mom was in 2012 diagnosed with Lyme disease and has been living with the ailment since. In 2017, she published her memoir; “Believe Me: My Battle with the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease.” Yolanda was a cast member of the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Her own reality TV show competition Making a Model with Yolanda Hadid premiered on Lifetime on January 11th, 2018.
Siblings
Gigi Hadid has two siblings; Bella Hadid (born Isabella Khair Hadid on October 9, 1996) and Anwar Hadid (born June 22, 1999), both of whom followed in the footsteps of Gigi and their mom Yolanda to become fashion models.
Both of Gigi’s siblings are signed to IMG Models. Gigi and her sister Bella have featured together in a handful of modeling appearances. They did a nude hugging shot for the cover of the British Vogue March 2018 issue.
Bella and Anwar were both in 2012 alongside their mom diagnosed with Lyme disease.
Dating/Boyfriend – Zayn Malik
Gigi Hadid has dated a couple of fellow stars in the entertainment industry. She was in a relationship with singer Cody Simpson. For a period of 5 months in 2015, she dated Joe Jonas after which she began dating One Direction star, Zayn Malik.
She appeared as Zayn’s girlfriend in the video for his song “Pillowtalk.” They became the third couple to appear together on the Vogue cover.
