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‘Breath of fresh air’: Bella Hadid opens up about the moment she met her cowboy boyfriend Adam Banuelos

May 13, 2025

Bella Hadid’s love story is straight out of a Western Romance.

In a candid interview with British Vogue the model gushed about her relationship with Adan Banuelos, who is a decorated Mexican-American equestrian, and opened up about the moment they met in the middle of country Texas.

A moment that Hadid says was a “breath of fresh air”.

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MARCH 08: Adan Banuelos and Bella Hadid attend The American Performance Horseman by Teton Ridge at Globe Life Field on March 08, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Click Thompson/Getty Images for Teton Ridge)

It came about after Hadid made the decision to move to the southern US state where her mum Yolanda Hadid and stepdad were building a house.

Struggling with Lyme disease and what she called “self-love issues”, she sought out a quieter lifestyle in the country to work on her health and happiness.

Soon after the move, a “gorgeous” cowboy caught her eye.

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Bella Hadid and Adan Banuelos

“I’m with my stepdad. We move cows, we’re on trail rides and I’m starting to feel a little better but just still dealing with my own stuff,” she told British Vogue.

“Then, the next day, I meet my boyfriend.”

Hadid recalls being at a horse show in the local town when they met and she was instantly intrigued.

“I saw him walk in and it was like a gust of fresh air,” she said.

“So he basically came in, walked into the exhibit hall, which is where we do all of the show stuff. I was getting a cowboy hat fitted. I just saw him and I was like that’s the… I always wanted the cowboy.”

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Bella Hadid and Adan Banuelos

While the interest was there, it was a slow burn at first before the pair became an item and in true country style, Banuelos was none the wiser about Hadid’s fame.

“I never knew who you were until I saw your face for the first time,” she recalls him telling her.

She said it was just “such a breath of fresh air” to find this relationship.

Hadid and Banuelos’ were first connected publicly in October 2023. Then in February 2024, Hadid shared a photo of him on Valentine’s Day with the caption, “My valentine”.

The couple have been spotted in public on several occasions and Hadid has made the occasional Instagram post about her partner but they are otherwise relatively private about their romance.

However, that didn’t stop Hadid from gushing about Banuelos in this new interview.

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MARCH 09: Adan Banuelos arrives at the Cowboys & Indians Magazine X Boot Barn Grit & Glamour VIP Denim Carpet Party poses for a photo opportunity during The American Rodeo by Teton Ridge at Globe Life Field on March 09, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images for Teton Ridge)

Hadid proudly explained that he’s the youngest Mexican cowboy to have been inducted into the hall of fame.

But it appears it’s the simpler stuff that Hadid is the most impressed with.

“He works for his family, he works for his customers and he works to hopefully build a home and a family one day,” she added.

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