NEED TO KNOW
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Gigi and Bella Hadid are the daughters of former Real Housewives star and model Yolanda Hadid and real estate developer Mohamed Hadid
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Yolanda and Mohamed were married for six years
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The former couple also share one son, Anwar Hadid
Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid have supermodel roots.
Their mother, Yolanda Hadid — a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum and former model — married their father, Mohamed Hadid — a real estate developer — in 1994. The couple welcomed Gigi (née Jelena) in Los Angeles in 1995, followed by Bella in 1996 and son Anwar in 1999. Yolanda raised her three children in Santa Barbara, Calif., after splitting from Mohamed in 2000.
When Gigi won Glamour’s 2017 Woman Of The Year award, she got emotional during her acceptance speech and opened up about her parents’ role in her success.
“To my dad who was a refugee from Palestine and my mom who was just a Dutch farm girl, and they work so hard to make their dreams come true,” she said. “I hope you know that I honor you in my work ethic and I’m so grateful for the life that you gave me and for never letting my privilege be an excuse.”
From supporting their careers to becoming grandparents, here’s everything to know about Gigi and Bella Hadid’s parents, Yolanda and Mohamed Hadid.
They were both born outside of the U.S.
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Yolanda Hadid, Gigi Hadid and Mohamed Hadid in 2018
Mohamed was born in Nazareth, Israel in 1948, while Yolanda was born in The Netherlands in 1964. They got married in 1994 and divorced in 2000.
Mohamed and his family fled to Syria and moved to the U.S. when he was a teenager. According to Bravo, he competed in speed skiing at the Winter Olympics in 1992. He represented Jordan and was the only person on the country’s team. He is currently a luxury real estate developer.
Meanwhile, Yolanda was signed to Ford Models at age 16 after being scouted and continued her career into the ’90s, paving the way for her daughter’s modeling career.
Yolanda grew even more famous when she joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2012, in which Mohamed made several guest appearances. Yolanda remained on the reality series for four seasons and left in 2016. She went on to host one season of the show Making a Model with Yolanda Hadid.
They welcomed three children together
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Anwar Hadid, Gigi Hadid, Yolanda Hadid and Bella Hadid in 2017
Yolanda and Mohamed welcomed three children together: Gigi in 1995, Bella in 1996 and Anwar in 1999. Mohamed also has two children from his other relationships, daughters Alana, Marielle and Aydan.
“Motherhood is a privilege and the greatest blessing in my life. Thank you Gigi, Bella, and Anwar for teaching me the true meaning of unconditional love for and for igniting the deepest part of my soul,” Yolanda wrote on Instagram in May 2019.
In 2021, Bella shared a Father’s Day post on Instagram, writing, “You make me laugh more than anyone in the world. Although I cry writing this because I wish I could give you the biggest hug &kiss today!! I miss you and love you to the moon.”
Yolanda didn’t let her children model full-time until they were 18 years old
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Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid and Yolanda Hadid in 2017
Gigi and Bella are world-famous models, but it wasn’t always that way. Although Gigi had a childhood stint modeling for Baby Guess — and took part in home fashion shows with Bella in their mother’s closet — Yolanda didn’t let them full-time model until they turned 18.
Yolanda told Vogue in March 2021 that “she never wanted them to be in that life until they had some sense of who they were as human beings, as women.”
“I’m very strict about that,” Yolanda told PEOPLE in January 2018. “I remember Gigi being 16 and saying, ‘This is not fair!’ But now she hugs me and says, ‘Thank you for giving me those two extra years to grow up, be in my flip flops and play basketball.’ Modeling is a tough profession. It’s not for the weak.”
Gigi and Bella supported Yolanda when she got diagnosed with Lyme disease
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Bella Hadid, Yolanda Hadid and Gigi Hadid in 2018
Yolanda has opened up about her Lyme disease diagnosis onstage, on TV, on social media and in her 2017 book, Believe Me: My Battle with the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease.
“So proud of my mamma for sharing her story, and excited for all of the people this book will help !!!!!!,” Gigi wrote on Instagram in April 2017.
Even though Gigi was only a teenager when her mother got sick, she was a big source of support for her. “She was courageous, she was strong, her support was constant,” Yolanda told Glamour in 2017. She is the only one of her siblings who has not been personally affected by Lyme disease.
In October 2015, Gigi presented her mom with the Power of One award at the Global Lyme Alliance Gala.
“The Global Lyme Alliance is hope and tonight we are honoring the person that more than anyone I know is hope for Lyme Disease awareness … my mom,” Gigi said in an emotional speech. “For your fight, for your passion and for making your journey one that will help so many.”
“I am so proud to honor you with this award. I love you,” she added.
Gigi and Bella love their father’s cooking
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Gigi Hadid, Mohamed Hadid and Bella Hadid in 2016
The supermodel sisters have been very vocal about Mohamed’s culinary talents. According to Gigi, her father is “one of her favorite chefs in the world,” and Bella’s “dream” is for him to open a restaurant.
Gigi dedicated her June 2020 appearance on Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay to her father. In the episode, she helped Flay make falafels, a staple Middle Eastern dish.
“I used to go to this restaurant and make falafels in the back with my dad,” she told Flay after he noted that she’d clearly done this before.
Mohamed has contributed to a cookbook titled Craving Palestine and launched a caviar brand called Hadid.
Yolanda and Mohamed are proud of their children on and off the runway
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Yolanda Hadid and Gigi Hadid in 2016
The former couple have shown support for their daughters at various runway shows, including the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Paris.
But aside from their careers, they have expressed their pride in their characters. “It’s a superficial business. At the end of the day, looks will come and go. And what makes me proud of my children, more so than even their success, is that they are polite and respectful,” Yolanda told PEOPLE in January 2018.
They love being grandparents to Gigi’s daughter, Khai
Gigi Hadid Instagram
Gigi Hadid and her daughter, Khai
Just before Gigi gave birth to Khai in September 2020, Mohamed wrote a poem titled “Grandpa’s Heart,” dedicating his message to his “little grandchild.”
“Hello little grandchild, it is me, my heart as happy as can be,” he wrote. “I wish for you the sun & moon, I wish for you a happy time. Know that grandpa’s always here, I’ll do anything, anything for you, my dear.”
“When I heard you were on the way, I smiled and wiped a tear away,” Mohamed added. “I cried the tear because I knew my heart would always belong to you.”
In May 2021, Gigi shared a Mother’s Day Instagram post in which she wrote that Yolanda is the “best Oma we could ever ask for.” Oma is the Dutch word for “grandmother.”
Gigi becoming a mother also allowed Yolanda to see her older daughter in a new light.
“I have always been so very proud of the young woman you grew up to be every step of your life time but watching you give birth and become a mother yourself has given “Proud” a whole other meaning….,” Yolanda wrote on Instagram in April 2021.
Read the original article on People
