The Weeknd (2015 – 2019)
Bella Hadid’s longest relationship was with her on-and-off boyfriend, The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye), spanning from 2015 to 2019. The pair reportedly first met when the singer asked Hadid to pose on the cover of one of his albums. “I actually asked her to be on the artwork for Beauty Behind the Madness,” he told Rolling Stone. “My motive was literally to work with her.”
Romance rumors started swirling after they crossed paths at Coachella in 2015, where they were seen “hanging out” and “flirting lots” according to E! News. In December of that year, Hadid starred in the music video for his song “In The Night.”
In August 2016, Hadid spoke publicly about her relationship with Abel in an interview with Glamour. “I’m dating Abel. I don’t see him as the Weeknd,” she said. “I’m proud of the Weeknd and the music he makes, but I really love Abel.”
However, the couple’s first of many breakups came in November 2016. It was rumored that his new single at the time, “Heartless,” was inspired by their tumultuous up-and-down relationship. They reunited amicably for the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Paris. Meanwhile, Abel entered into a relationship with pop singer Selena Gomez for most of 2017.
“It was my first breakup … and so public,” Hadid admitted to Teen Vogue in February 2017. “As an outsider, you might think I handled it so well, but it’s always in your heart, and you always feel it very heavily. It’ll be hard for a while. Love hurts, but you have to pull through.”
Hadid and Abel sparked romance rumors again in April 2018 after hanging out at Coachella. “The Weeknd and Bella were sitting on each other’s laps and all over each other all night long,” an onlooker told People at the time. “They definitely looked like they were fully back together.” One month later, they were spotted kissing at the Cannes Film Festival.
After reconciling for over a year, by August 2019, Hadid and The Weeknd reportedly broke up again. Although the singer attended Hadid’s 23rd birthday party a month later, a rep for The Weeknd told People that “they just attended as friends.”