In November 2016, Bella Hadid was 20 years old and about to walk as a Victoria’s Secret Angel for the first time. Every model’s dream, but for her, it would also be a trap.
Weeks earlier, Bella had ended her 18-month relationship with The Weeknd, considered her first truly serious romance. Sources close to them told E! News that the breakup was due to their schedules: she was constantly traveling, while he was holed up recording an album. No one mentioned that they had stopped loving each other.
What Bella didn’t know when she signed the contract with Victoria’s Secret was that The Weeknd would sing that same night, on the same stage, just inches from the runway.
The stress before a runway show is very intense. Models have admitted that they spend the days beforehand eating almost nothing and that on show day they don’t drink water, deliberately dehydrating themselves so their skin clings to their muscles. But in addition to that tension and nervousness, Bella arrived carrying the shadow of Gigi, her sister, who had already been an angel for a year and with whom she was constantly compared.
Then she walked. And saw him.
That single second of eye contact was enough for the world to understand what Bella wasn’t saying. According to several media outlets that covered the show, they saw her gaze falter. After all, The Weeknd was her first love, but what Bella did next surprised everyone. In an instant, the young woman lifted her gaze and kept walking as if nothing had happened. Perfect. A goddess in lingerie in front of millions of people.
Backstage, Bella smiled and said that he was “her best friend”, sincere words that were overshadowed by the photos that had captured a pain that was still fresh.
Many women have lived through a less glamorous version of that moment: you can be at the top of your career, look more beautiful than ever, and have every eye on you, yet still be looking only for the eyes of the man you still care about.
That night, Bella wore wings, fame, and one of the most important contracts of her career. She seemed to have everything, except for the one gaze she truly wanted to feel was different from all the others.
But Bella moved on and carried herself with a dignity that very few could muster in front of an ex.