Yolanda Hadid once had it all: the husband, the kids, and the glamorous lifestyle. Then, it all came crashing down.
On September 12, the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star will release her new memoir Believe Me: My Battle with the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease where she opens up about her illness, her days on reality TV, and her past two marriages which have both ended in divorce.
While doing a photoshoot in Aspen, Colorado in 1993, the top model met her first husband Mohamed Hadid where they later had three children: Gigi, Bella, and Anwar Hadid.
Related: Yolanda Hadid Is Flaw-Free In A Thong!
Although the now-53-year-old speaks well about Mohamed’s character, he simply wasn’t a good husband and they split in 2000. According to an excerpt obtained by DailyMail.com:
“He’s a good human being and provider for his children… he had two girls from a previous marriage… But unfortunately for me, he’s not a faithful husband… It’s a big blow to my ego. I thought I was a pretty good catch: financially independent… and loving my home life and roles as wife and mother.”
Ultimately, the Netherlands-native met music producer David Foster at a dinner party — thrown by Mohamed — and they got married in 2011.
Sadly, a year later, Yolanda was diagnosed with Lyme disease at a Belgian clinic, and her life would never be the same. She wrote:
“Too many nights I found myself lying naked on the bathroom floor, the only relief being the cold tiles on my bare skin, wondering how much more pain I could take and how many more days, months, and years I could suffer… There were plenty of times when I thought that I wouldn’t make it through the night alive, and others where I wished and prayed that I would die.”
The illness also caused the Dutch-American TV personality to experience migraines, brain fog, joint pain, exhaustion, insomnia, and anxiety.
To make matters more complicated, Hadid joined the cast of RHOBH while she was receiving treatment. During a visit to the Sponaugle Wellness Institute in Florida, she received IV drips, ozone treatments, colonics, and coffee enemas.
“I can tell you that as much as I hate having a tube up my ass, I’m pretty sure that these colonics are one of my lifesavers.”
While Yolanda was busy fighting her health battles, she received little support from her Bravo costars.
“Without cameras rolling, I clearly feel the lack of compassion of this group of women — although it may seem more glamorous and interesting, is no different from a job at a bank.”
During the sixth season of the hit franchise, a rumor began circulating that Hadid suffered from Munchausen syndrome, where one fakes an illness for sympathy.
“I kind of expected the women to have my back while filming in the same way I’ve protected them throughout difficult times in their personal lives on the show. I have a lot of factual information in the vault that could discredit them and their lives, but I’ve chosen to work with integrity and point out their strengths instead of their weaknesses.”
2015 also marked the end of her marriage to Foster. When he came by her apartment to pick up old clothes, he reportedly told her:
“Your sick card is up.”
Despite her hardships, Yolanda is determined — more than ever — to find a cure for Lyme’s disease.
“I’m going to find a cure for this disease and nothing and nobody is going to stop me. I will not allow anyone to shut me up or shame me into silence, and I’m not going to rot away behind closed doors.”
Strong words from a strong woman!
[Image via St. Martin’s Press.]
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