Trending Now: Here’s everything We Know About the Surprise Breakup – Fans React

The “cowboy era” has officially reached its sunset. On January 26, reports confirmed that Hadid, 29, and her champion equestrian boyfriend, Adan Banuelos, 36, have split after two years of dating. While the breakup has been described by insiders as a “mutual” decision born from the strain of distance and demanding schedules, it signals something deeper for the Hadid brand: the end of her “Great American Escape” and her definitive return to the high-stakes machine of global celebrity.

When Hadid first relocated to the Dallas-bordering city of Fort Worth in early 2023 (A move she confirmed in 2024), it felt less like a celebrity whim and more like a survival tactic. Struggling with chronic Lyme disease and what she described as “self-love issues,” the model sought refuge near her mother, Yolanda Hadid, who was building her own sanctuary in nearby Weatherford.

It was there, while getting a cowboy hat fitted at a local shop, that she met Banuelos, a Mexican-American rodeo star and NCHA Hall of Fame inductee with over $8 million in career winnings. The magic of their meeting, as Hadid told British Vogue in May 2025, was his total ignorance of her status. “I saw him walk in and it was like a gust of fresh air,” she recalled, noting that he didn’t even know who she was until he saw her face for the first time.

For a woman who started her modelling career at age 16 and whose every move has been dissected by paparazzi lenses for many years, Banuelos offered a “Texas-sized” anonymity. She traded Balenciaga for Wranglers, moved into his fifth-wheel trailer, and began competing in cutting-horse events, eventually being named the NCHA’s 2024 Rookie of the Year.

A Tumultuous Trail

However, the rustic romance wasn’t always as serene as the Instagram carousels suggested. While the public saw sunset trail rides and PDA-packed anniversary posts, insiders tell a story of an “on-again, off-again” dynamic that was frequently “tumultuous”.

The complexity of the split is further muddied by their shared business interests. Unlike her previous high-profile flame, The Weeknd, Hadid’s relationship with Banuelos involved more than just red carpets; it involved assets. The pair reportedly purchased several high-value breeding and competition horses together, creating a professional tie that remains even as the romantic one untethers.

Signs of trouble emerged during the 2025 holiday season when Hadid was spotted in Aspen with friends while Banuelos was noticeably absent. This separation marked a stark shift from their previous public displays of affection and fueled speculation of a rift just weeks before their January 2026 split was officially reported.

The timing of the split feels almost poetic. As the relationship was reportedly hitting its rocky final chapters in late 2025, Hadid was stepping back into the spotlight to promote The Beauty. Her role in the series, a dark, sci-fi meditation on the obsession with physical perfection, is a far cry from the “no-makeup, mud-on-the-boots” life she cultivated in Fort Worth.

At the premiere of The Beauty in New York on January 14, 2026, Hadid discussed insights from castmates like Evan Peters and Anthony Ramos. She highlighted that the production helped her accept vulnerability and embrace creativity, feeling that “even being crazy and weird is still positive.

This breakup isn’t just about a girl losing a guy; it’s about the reality of the “quiet life” fantasy. We often want our favorite stars to find that one person who “doesn’t know who they are” and live happily ever after in a trailer in Texas. But for Bella Hadid, the “fresh air” of the ranch eventually had to contend with the oxygen of her own ambition.

What’s Next for the Newly Single Hadid?

While a source tells Entertainment Tonight that Hadid is “doing her best to stay positive” and “distract herself with work,” her plate is certainly full enough to provide that distraction. Between her booming fragrance brand, Orebella, and a renewed acting career that has critics calling her “scene-defining,” Hadid is no longer a guest in the cowboy’s world. She is back to being the architect of her own.

The Texas move served its purpose: it gave her the space to heal and the confidence to return to a world that once broke her. But as she gallops away from the ranch and back toward the Hollywood horizon, she does so not as the “supermodel in hiding,” but as a woman who realized that sometimes, the “chaos” is exactly where you’re supposed to be.