Bella Hadid and The Weeknd, aka Abel Tesfaye, broke
up last November after more than one year of dating. Their demanding
work schedules were reportedly the cause of the split, though neither
party has confirmed what happened. The world may never find out, and
we'll always have the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show to look back on. Here's how their relationship came and went.
April 2015: Bella and Abel become more than friends shortly after hanging out at Coachella, where he performed. A source tells E! News they were “flirting lots” while a second source reveals Coachella is “where they really clicked.” Us Weekly
reveals that the new couple have gone on double dates with Gigi and
(then-boyfriend) Cody Simpson, as well as Miley Cyrus and Patrick
Schwarzenegger (who would split this month).
July 2015: In a New York Times
feature story about Abel, Bella is mentioned in four paragraphs. Two of
them are dedicated to the newness of their relationship and a kiss she
gives him before his performance at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
When asked if he’s in love, Abel offers this: “I don’t know, to be
honest with you. I don’t think so. Maybe. It’s no, it’s yes, it’s
maybe.”
August 2015: Bella and Gigi go on
another double date with their beaus Abel and Joe Jonas, respectively,
hanging out at L.A. hotspot The Nice Guy. According to People, Taylor Swift was also there.
September 2015: Bella and Abel are spotted at New York Fashion Week holding hands.
October 2015: The Weeknd buys Bella a puppy — a Yorkie named Hendrix — for her 19th birthday.
They spend her birthday weekend in New York City together, along with mom Yolanda Foster, sister Gigi, and Joe Jonas.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Abel says he first approached Bella for work and work only. “I actually asked her to be on the artwork for Beauty Behind the Madness. My motive was literally to work with her.” Bella initially declined, leading him to suggest a “face-to-face” meet up. In the RS
interview, he points out that their relationship wouldn’t have worked
if it happened two years ago (“she couldn’t”), possibly alluding to the
fact that she would have been 16 at the time. “But if I’d met someone
two years ago, I probably would’ve fucked it up. But I’m more — how do I
say it? — clear-thinking now.”
December 2015: Bella plays a femme fatale in Abel’s new
video for “In The Night.” There’s a beautiful shot of them riding on a
motorcycle together.
Before the end of the year, E! News
reports that the couple are taking a break due to their busy schedules.
“They are still in each other’s lives though, just not in the same
exclusive capacity,” says one source. They spend Christmas apart.
February 2016: Bella and Abel make their red carpet debut as a couple at the 58th Grammy Awards.
March 2016: Abel supports Bella at the Daily Front Row’s Fashion Los Angeles Awards. They're too cute for words.
May 2016: Bella and Abel attend the 2016 Met Gala looking like a million bucks in his and hers Givenchy.
August 2016: Bella opens up about her boyfriend to Glamour
magazine, saying that she often thinks about him when she’s modeling
and that when they’re together, he’s “Abel” and not his stage name. “I’m
proud of the Weeknd and the music he makes, but I really love Abel.”
She also reveals why they decided to make their couple debut at the
Grammys. “It was a big night for him. He has worked so hard, and he did
so well that night. As a girlfriend I wanted to be there to support him.
Seeing him so happy when he won a Grammy made me so happy.” (He was
nominated for seven and won two that night).
October 2016: Bella and Abel fly off to Tokyo and have the Instagram vacation of your dreams.
Upon their return, the couple celebrate Bella's 20th birthday. No puppy this time though.
November 2016: People
reports on Nov. 10 that Bella and Abel have split after one and a half
years of dating. One source says their schedules, once again, are to
blame and that Abel is “focusing on finishing and promoting his album…
they still have a great deal of love for one another and will remain
friends.”
Two weeks later, The Weeknd’s new album Starboy
is released. Bella and Abel reunite on stage at the Victoria’s Secret
Fashion Show, with her making her VS debut and him performing on the
show for the second year in a row. “There is no awkwardness,” she tells E! News before hitting the stage. “He is my best friend, and I am excited because I am walking during his performance.”
Bella gives a shout out to her ex the following day on Instagram,
writing, “Thank you @theweeknd for being the best and most incredible
performer on the planet. You KILLED it, as always.” No awkward feelings
here. Nope.
January 2017: TMZ publishes photos of Selena Gomez and Abel making out by a dumpster in Santa Monica. Bella quietly unfollows Selena on Instagram but everyone notices.
On Jan. 12, photographer Mert Alas posts — and
quickly deletes — a sultry pic of Selena wearing nothing but gold hoops,
a matching thong, and a towel. The original photo also included a tag
for The Weeknd along with a heart emoji.
People
reports that Bella is “hurt and pissed” that her ex has moved on with
Selena. This is according to a “source close to the supermodel,” so do
read it with a grain of salt. In the same vein, a “Hadid pal” tells Us Weekly
that Bella has reached out to Abel “a few times and told him Selena is
using him,” as it’s believed the rumored new couple are working on new
music together.
Selena and Abel have yet to confirm their relationship status, but it seems like Bella gets the last word for now.
