Internationally renowned supermodel Gigi Hadid has been battling an illness behind the scenes, which she admits often leads her to “scream into a pillow” as a coping mechanism. The 29-year-old disclosed her diagnosis of Hashimoto’s disease in 2016, revealing that it had drastically altered her metabolism.
She has been on medication for the thyroid condition for two years. Speaking to Elle magazine, Gigi said: “So for the Victoria Secret show I didn’t want to lose any more weight, I just want to have muscles in the right place, and if my butt can get a little perkier, then that’s good.”
The mother-of-one shared that she would scream into a pillow to deal with cruel comments about her body. Gigi recalled: “One time I was on set for a beach shoot, and my mum said, ‘Go scream into the ocean. It relieves the tension.'”.
In 2018, after enduring online bullying due to her changing physique, the Palestinian-Dutch supermodel took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to address the abuse.
She posted: “For those of you so determined to come up w why my body has changed over the years, you may not know that when I started @ 17 I was not yet diagnosed w/Hashimoto’s disease.”, reports the Mirror US.
Gigi revealed: “Those of u who called me ‘too big for the industry’ were seeing inflammation and water retention due to that.” She implored people to “learn to have more empathy for others and know that you never really know the whole story”, urging them to use their energy to “lift those that you admire rather than be cruel to those you don’t”.
Hashimoto’s disease, which cannot be cured but can be managed with medication typically needed for life, affects the thyroid gland.
It can lead to a drop in thyroid hormone levels, causing symptoms such as weight gain, fatigue, and constipation, as detailed by Cleveland Clinic.
In the UK, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (the most common cause of hypothyroidism) affects around 1-2% of the population.
Gigi, whose birth name is Jelena Noura Hadid, earned the title of International Model of the Year from the British Fashion Council in 2016 and has graced the pages of international Vogue over 50 times.
Her modelling career started during her childhood and in 2013 she signed with IMG models, making a splash at New York Fashion Week the following year. Gigi has also dabbled in television, co-hosting the second season of Netflix‘s Next In Fashion with Tan France.
In September 2020, Gigi welcomed her daughter Khai, fathered by then-beau Zayn Malik, the musician. The duo have parted ways since, and currently, Gigi is romantically linked to the Hollywood star Bradley Cooper.
Her siblings, Bella Hadid and Anwar Hadid, also tread the modelling path, while her mother, Yolanda, is renowned for her stint on the reality show, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
