Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik welcomed their first child together this year. The couple has been fiercely private about their newborn, only sharing very rare glimpses on social media.
Cosmo caught up with Mohamed Hadid at Cairo Film Festival, where he spoke candidly about being a new grandfather. “When I saw her, she was a beam of light. So pretty and so perfect, he said. “I want to say she was a China doll: beautiful and fragile. Her skin was so perfect and her eyes were open. Gigi gave natural birth and didn’t take any medications. She had the baby in the bathtub.”
The Palestinian architect said that the baby definitely inherited Gigi’s genes. “She is cute as her mother, so I’m happy. Forget about her father,” he laughed.
Mohamed also opened up about what he hopes the future holds for his granddaughter. “She will be raised the same way she was born, in a calm environment. Gigi didn’t make a big deal out of it and that’s our idea of raising her, to not give fame to a youngster. She wants her to go out and make her own identity. It’s better for her to grow up in a normal environment and create her own identity. Maybe she just wants to be a veterinarian or a doctor.”
Speaking of his Palestinian heritage, Mohamed wants his children and grandchildren to – like him – stay in touch with their Arab roots. “I mean, it is a must! They have to stay connected to their origin, because it gives them an edge; they are from a different breed,” he said. “There are a lot of European beautiful models and a lot of American models, so this is to give them an edge, they are Arabs, they are Muslims, they are connected to a very strong Arabic roots; they must show it. “
Photography by Twinkle Stanly
Interview by Yasmin Reda
Shot on location at The Nile Ritz-Carlton using the Nikon Z6
Project Management: Mad Solutions