Gigi Hadid Opens Up About Therapy and Living in the Public Eye: 'What Does the World Not Know About Me?'

The supermodel, who currently has more than 76 million Instagram followers, reveals what people don’t know about her in a new interview with Elle

Photo: Mario Sorrenti

Gigi Hadid has spent most of her life in the public eye. And in a new interview in Elle's March 2023 issue, the supermodel opens up about how therapy has helped her cope when times get tough and how there's more to her than meets the eye.

Perhaps one of the biggest things Hadid, who shares 2-year-old daughter Khai with ex Zayn Malik, has learned in therapy is how to set and maintain boundaries.

"Setting boundaries, even if that's with the paparazzi—going over and saying, 'Hey, what's up? I know we've seen each other from across the street for five years, but when I'm with my kid, please don't point the camera this way,'" Hadid, 27, told the magazine.

"Sometimes you have to be assertive, and that doesn't mean that it's rude. It's setting a boundary," she explained.

Mario Sorrenti

Going to therapy has also been effective for Hadid and her sister Bella to talk about things from growing up and in the modeling industry.

"There are different things that we probably both deal with on different sides, but there's always going to be something that comes together," Hadid shared.

Another source of comfort? Close friend Serena Williams and her wise advice. "Serena Williams once told me, 'Nothing stays in the press longer than three weeks.' You can feel like your life is ending," Hadid tells the magazine before noting, "if it's a mistake, then it will pass."

Hadid continued: "I think it's about not taking yourself that seriously and being like, 'When I am on my deathbed, I'm not going to remember that one awkward interview from when I was 19.'"

But when asked by Elle to share something people wouldn't know about her from headlines or her Instagram posts, she teared up.

"What does the world not know about me?" she asked." I don't know. I'm getting emotional [thinking about it]."

Gigi Hadid. Mario Sorrenti

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Hadid explained that it's more about being together in person. "I think that I'm someone who you have to be in front of to experience. It's not hard. This isn't a complaint. It's more that in my job, you see a lot of snapshots," she said. "There are a lot of snapshots and really quick moments where, again, there's not a lot of context given."

Hadid also recently gave a glimpse into her mornings with her little girl.

Speaking to WSJ. Magazine for its My Monday Morning series, the supermodel, 27, opened up about what her daily routine is like with 2-year-old Khai, admitting that she's very much on her daughter's schedule.

Mario Sorrenti

"Whatever time she's waking up, I'm waking up," Hadid shared, noting that it's usually between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. "I have a very mom morning routine."

She also follows her daughter's lead on breakfast. "I eat whatever Khai's having," she said.

"I make her pancakes and sausages every day. For Christmas, she asked me what I was going to ask Santa for and so I said I wanted a new pancake pan," said Hadid. "I ordered myself, via Santa, this cool pancake pan—each little circle pancake is a different animal, so she can have lion pancakes or llama pancakes. It's really fun."

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Throughout the day, Hadid said she stays active by just being with her daughter and "running" after the toddler.

"We walk a lot. We do yoga together. With lifting her and running around all day and going to the park, I get moving," she continued.