Featured Image Credit: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for LOVE Magazine
Topics: Gigi Hadid, Celebrity, Viral
Alice Wade
Topics: Gigi Hadid, Celebrity, Viral
After discovering she was related to Bella and Gigi Hadid, Ayden Nix, has opened up on what life has been like since.
In May, the Hadid sisters made the announcement that they had a half-sister after finding out their father, Mohamed Hadid, had a 'brief relationship' with Terri Hatfield Dull, a mortgage lender from Florida, 23 years ago, which led to the birth of Nix.
Gigi and Bella are the daughters of Mohamed and his ex-wife, Yolanda Hadid, whom he was married to from 1994 to 2000. They also have a son, Anwar, 24.
Mohamed also has two older daughters, Marielle and Alana Hadid, whom he shares with his first wife, Mary Butler.
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Nix discovered her connection to the Hadid family following a DNA test following the passing of the man she'd believed to be her father, Terry.
In an interview with The Cut, the 23-year-old, who is based in New York, revealed that she'd always thought her heritage was German and Irish; however, she was surprised to discover that she was 50 per cent Palestinian.
"I was told I looked Persian or Turkish, and I always, without a second of doubt, replied, “Nope! German-Irish!" she said.
Nix said she took her results to her mother, who she said then went 'quiet' and 'anxious'.
"Her face turned pale. She told me Terry wasn’t Middle Eastern. I laughed and joked, “What? Are you going to tell me my dad isn’t my dad?" she said.
Since finding out her true parentage, Ayden said that the Hadid family have been 'nothing but warm and generous' to her, adding: "They have made space for me in ways they didn’t have to. They’ve been kind."
She said their ease somewhat 'surprised' her, with Anwar calling her his 'baby sister' after speaking on the phone for the first time and Bella referring to her as her 'twin'.
Finding out that she was half Palestinian also made her 'obsessed' with learning more about the country and its culture, which her half-sister's and brother were more than happy to help with.
"Alana sent me resources and inspired me to become active in the fight for Palestine’s freedom. I watched Anwar’s film Walled Off. Gigi took me for my first Palestinian meal and taught me the names of different dishes," she added.
"I felt that fighting for Palestine gave me a purpose and if there was any divine reason for my discovery, it would be my ability to fight for Palestine."
Despite her new celebrity connection; however, Nix insisted that her life hadn't changed much.
"I live in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in the East Village and mooch off of my mom," she said. "I take the subway or bus to work. When the Met Gala comes, I will be working nonstop carrying 70-pound trunks up and down stairs or through the freight entrance at the Carlyle."
Continuing, she wrote: "Today, I am doing my best to live my life for me and to remember that, despite a couple of extra eyes on me, my life is still my own."