Bella Hadid‘s split from Adan Banuelos came as a surprise after more than two years of dating — but what ultimately led to the decision?
News broke on Monday, January 26, that Hadid, 29, and Banuelos, 36, called it quits, with a source exclusively telling Luxury Handbag Shopping that the breakup happened “a few weeks ago.”
“It was after the holidays and is still very recent and fresh,” the insider noted about how Hadid “threw herself back into work and is very focused” on her career right now. “She is feeling a little bit better and her health has improved [amid her Lyme disease complications].”
The source pointed to Hadid being booked and busy as the reason why her connection with Banuelos went “downhill,” adding, “[It started] when she got busier with work promoting her new series, taking on more campaigns and events with Orebella.”
Hadid and Banuelos “both had busy schedules and were long distance” for a while, which “wasn’t working out.”
“They also realized they had differing opinions and values about life and their future. There was a lot that was putting strain on the relationship,” the insider explained to Us. “Adan really wanted her to be in Texas with him, but Bella was ready to spread her wings again and take on more work in Los Angeles and New York.”
While Hadid loved life in Texas, she “expressed interest in going back to New York for a period of time.” The model recently went away on a girls’ trip to the Virgin Islands as a way to decompress after the major life change.
“It was the perfect escape for her. She’s been really heartbroken and thought Adan was The One,” the insider continued. “Her girlfriends and her family have been lifting her up in the last few weeks.”
Hadid and Banuelos were initially linked in late 2023 but didn’t go public until several months later. While the pair largely remained tight-lipped about their romance, Banuelos made a rare comment about how Hadid moved into his fifth wheel trailer when they first started dating.
“She did do the fifth wheel, happily,” he said on the “Along For the Ride” podcast in 2024. “It was badass. That fifth wheel has always felt small and then you get, you know, somebody that you enjoy spending time with and that fifth wheel went from a fifth wheel to a f***ing mansion.”
Banuelos gushed over his then-girlfriend adjusting to his lifestyle in Texas.
“It was cool because I really wanted that to be a part of our relationship,” he added. “You know, you start having feelings for somebody and you start thinking things like, ‘Man, maybe this is the rest of my life here.’”
Banuelos continued: “And knowing that she is that simple of a human being [and] that the material things aren’t important — or the most important thing.”
Hadid, meanwhile, took to social media to praise Banuelos’ work as an equestrian.
“I am so proud of you and all that you do. I see you and how hard you work everyday, and for you to be recognized in this way was so beautiful to watch,” she wrote via Instagram later that year. “I keep looking back and I’m just grateful to be a part of it. This was the most bad ass thing I could ever imagine,” she begins before gushing, “I love you to the moon baby!”
