Gigi Hadid gives first interview since split with Zayn Malik: Speaks on motherhood, modelling and privacy

Gigi Hadid has opened up in her first interview since her public split with her long-term partner, and the father of her daughter, Zayn Malik.

In a cover feature for InStyle magazine, the 26-year-old model spoke about motherhood, her career and dished on some of her personal life.

The piece touched on some of lows Hadid experienced in the last year — breaking up with boyfriend Zayn Malik as well as losing her close friend, high profile fashion designer Virgil Abloh, to a rare form of cancer.

READ MORE: Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik reportedly split amid allegations of a family dispute with her mum Yolanda Hadid

Despite the lows, Hadid maintains an incredibly optimistic mindset for the year ahead. The new mum spoke to InStyle Editor, Laura Brown, about the exciting projects she has coming up, most notably her role as the co-host of the second season of Next in Fashion alongside Tan France.

Hadid opened up about her childhood and how she coped with being the child of a reality star, while her mum Yolanda Hadid starred in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

"When people first started to get to know me, it was like, 'Oh, her mom was [Yolanda Hadid] on [The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills]. That is her life,'" Hadid said.

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The supermodel remarked, "It was weird for me. I would come home from school and there would be production trucks outside."

The supermodel also revealed she learnt "the hard way" that being "too trusting" in the industry could be used against her, hence prompting her to scale back her responses and become more private.

"You have to start to calculate your steps, because you went for it with an open heart, and sometimes it doesn't get portrayed that way," she said.

Hadid, who is the mother of one-year-old Khai, gave a rare insight into how she's managing mum life with her baby daughter: "I'm trying to learn still, being a mom and letting myself rest."

"She's just so smart, and she's so aware... She's just awesome," Hadid said of Khai.

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Hadid and former One Direction star Malik have split late last year after it was alleged he had a family dispute with her mother, Yolanda Hadid.

The couple first started dating in 2015 before rekindling their romance in 2019, one year before they welcomed their daughter, Khai, in September 2020.