Ayden Nix has shared her experience of life after finding out she is related to Bella and Gigi Hadid.
In May, the Hadid sisters announced they had a half-sister named Ayden Nix, following the revelation that their father, Mohamed Hadid, had a ‘brief relationship’ with Terri Hatfield Dull, a mortgage lender in Florida, 23 years ago, resulting in Nix’s birth.
Gigi and Bella are the children of Mohamed and his ex-wife, Yolanda Hadid, who were married from 1994 to 2000. They also have a brother, Anwar, who is 24 years old.
Mohamed also has two older daughters, Marielle and Alana Hadid, with his first wife, Mary Butler.
Nix learned about her link to the Hadid family through a DNA test following the death of the man she believed to be her father, Terry.
In a conversation with The Cut, the 23-year-old New York resident mentioned that she had always assumed her ancestry was German and Irish. However, she was surprised to find out she was 50 percent Palestinian.
“I was told I looked Persian or Turkish, and I always, without a second of doubt, replied, “Nope! German-Irish!” she said.
Nix recounted showing her DNA results to her mother, who responded with a ‘quiet’ and ‘anxious’ demeanor.
“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 discovering her true lineage, Ayden shared that the Hadid family has been ‘nothing but warm and generous’ towards her, noting: “They have made space for me in ways they didn’t have to. They’ve been kind.”
She was somewhat ‘surprised’ by their openness, with Anwar calling her his ‘baby sister’ during their first phone conversation and Bella referring to her as her ‘twin’.
Learning she was half Palestinian sparked an ‘obsession’ with understanding more about the nation and its culture, with her half-siblings and brother eager to assist.
“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 newfound connection to celebrities, Nix stated that her life hasn’t seen significant changes.
“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.”
Reflecting on her life, 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.”