Bella Hadid hospitalized with Lyme disease complications as public focus on the illness grows

Bella Hadid, the 28-year-old supermodel, is hospitalized with complications from Lyme disease, her mother Yolanda Hadid revealed in a series of Instagram posts that included photographs of Bella receiving treatment. Yolanda Hadid, who has spoken publicly about her own battle with Lyme, wrote that watching her daughter struggle in silence has “cut the deepest core of hopelessness” and called the disease an “invisible disability” that is hard to explain or understand. The posts underscored how long Lyme disease has affected the Hadid family, with Yolanda noting her own ongoing pain and the emotional toll of watching her child suffer.

Bella Hadid was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2012. Since then she has reported a range of symptoms associated with the illness, including an irregular heartbeat, mood swings, joint pain, nausea, breathing difficulties, insomnia, headaches, brain fog and anxiety. Her case highlights how the disease can persist and complicate daily life for years, even as patients pursue treatment over extended periods. The star’s health update comes after years of public discussion about Lyme disease among celebrities and the broader public.

The Hadid family’s experience echoes a broader trend: high-profile figures have increasingly spoken about Lyme disease in recent years. Earlier this year, Justin Timberlake disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Lyme disease. Other celebrities who have publicly discussed the condition include Miranda Hart, Justin Bieber, Ben Stiller and Kelly Osbourne. Timberlake described his diagnosis as part of a broader effort to shed light on what he has faced “behind the scenes,” while emphasizing the importance of transparency with fans about his health journey.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection typically contracted after a tick bite. It commonly produces flu-like symptoms that can resolve within weeks, but in some individuals the illness can linger for months or years and generate ongoing complications. Public health officials note that the prevalence of Lyme has risen in parts of the United States, and while UK cases have reportedly fallen, experts warn that confirmed case counts likely underestimate the true burden of the disease in both countries. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported roughly 62,550 estimated Lyme disease cases in 2022, though experts caution that official tallies may not capture all infections.

Experts also caution that diagnosing Lyme disease can be controversial and challenging. Testing is not always straightforward, and some private clinics have been criticized for offering Lyme diagnoses on demand for patients seeking validation of persistent symptoms. Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia, said celebrities may seem more vulnerable to Lyme because of increased outdoor activity and access to wooded areas where ticks are common, turning the issue into a numbers game. He noted that while testing and diagnosis remain complex, clinicians rely on a combination of symptoms, exposure history and laboratory results to guide treatment.

Timberlake’s decision to discuss his health publicly during a tour that began in 2024 drew widespread attention and sparked public conversation about the toll of chronic illnesses on performers. He described the experience as “relentlessly debilitating” and said his choice to continue touring reflected a balance between his career and health realities, signaling a broader push among celebrities to be more open about health challenges rather than concealing them.

Yolanda Hadid has also spoken candidly about chronic Lyme disease. In an interview with British Vogue in 2021 she described years of severe symptoms and said the disease brought her to her knees, revealing the emotional and mental strain associated with long-running illness. Her public comments have helped fuel ongoing conversations about misdiagnosis and the potential for chronic Lyme symptoms to persist or overlap with other conditions.

Beyond the star-driven spotlight, the public health community continues to emphasize practical steps to reduce tick exposure and limit infection. NHS guidance outlines a four-step routine for safely spotting and removing ticks, while health agencies warn that early signs such as the classic bulls-eye rash do not appear in all cases. The disease’s symptom profile is broad, ranging from facial palsy and shoulder pain to memory problems and vision changes, which can complicate early recognition.

Public health researchers caution that while many people diagnosed with Lyme disease do not have the infection when rigorously tested, a subset experiences real, chronic symptoms that can persist for years. A study from Johns Hopkins University analyzing diagnosed cases over more than a decade suggested that a substantial portion of patients diagnosed with Lyme disease did not meet stringent laboratory criteria, underscoring the ongoing debate about the condition and the importance of accurate testing and diagnosis.

As Lyme disease continues to shape conversations around health, celebrity disclosures like Bella Hadid’s hospital stay keep attention on both the scientific uncertainties surrounding the illness and the human impact of chronic symptoms on patients and families. Health officials reiterate that prevention—checking for ticks after outdoor activity, promptly removing ticks and seeking medical advice for persistent or unusual symptoms—remains the best defense against Lyme disease, while clinicians pursue better tools for timely, accurate diagnosis and effective long-term management.