EXCLUSIVE: Bella Hadid's Lyme Disease Agony! Supermodel's Mom Yolanda Accused of Sharing Emotional Hospital Photos for 'Attention'
Bella Hadid battles Lyme disease while mom Yolanda faces backlash for posting hospital photos online.
Oct. 28 2025, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
Struggling supermodel Bella Hadid is finding out who her friends are as she continues her 13-year battle with Lyme disease, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The cover girl, 29, who was recently hospitalized after a flare-up of the chronic condition, was diagnosed with the tick-borne disease in 2012. Later that year, her mother, Yolanda Hadid, and brother, Anwar, were also diagnosed with Lyme, which they may have contracted while living on a ranch in Santa Barbara.
Bella's Painful Health Battle
An insider said Bella Hadid continues to battle chronic Lyme disease symptoms that remain unseen by most.
"Chronic Lyme disease, like Bella has, is especially tough because the symptoms aren't visible to the eye," shared an insider.
"People can look at her and not realize the suffering she's enduring, the exhaustion, the body pains, the depression and brain fog. It's debilitating."
The insider added: "Bella's very open about what she does to fight it because there's so little information out there and she feels like she has a duty to shine a spotlight on it."
But not everyone in her life is sympathetic to her struggles.
"Certain people have let her down – friends who act like she's not sick or change the subject when she brings it up," a source said.
Bella 'Hides' Her Pain Well
Bella's mom, Yolanda Hadid, recalled sharing her own Lyme experience on 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.'
Yolanda, a former model, shared her own Lyme journey while appearing on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
"Bella's family has been so supportive, especially her mom. But others don't understand what she's going through," said the insider.
"It might look like she's living this great, so-called 'normal' life, but a lot of the time she's in agony. She just hides it well."
Yolanda recently shared heartbreaking photos of her youngest daughter receiving treatment at a hospital.
Yolanda Photo Of Bella Backlash
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Yolanda called Bella a 'warrior' as she shared emotional photos of her daughter's ongoing Lyme treatment.
"As you will understand, watching my Bella struggle in silence has cut the deepest core of hopelessness inside me," she posted.
"The invisible disability of chronic neurological Lyme disease is hard to ... understand for anyone. I try to lead by example on our Lyme journey but my own pain cannot compare to watching my baby suffer."
Yolanda ended her post by calling Bella a "warrior."
But the insider said the pictures often garner judgment, not sympathy.
"People accuse her and her mom of sharing hospital pictures for attention, which is so painful."
