Who is model Bella Hadid? The life of Gigi Hadid's younger sister who's stealing the show at Cannes

It is safe to say that Bella Hadid is the model du jour. Since arriving at the Cannes Film Festival, the 19-year-old has dominated headlines with her eye-popping outfits and flawless beauty. Fashion followers are likely to be already familiar with Bella as the younger sister of model Gigi Hadid, but perhaps for the first time, the competition between the siblings is well and truly on.

Over the last year, Gigi, 21, has forged her own career as an in-demand model and through her friendships with the likes of Taylor Swift and Kendall Jenner, and relationship with former One Direction star Zayn Malik. All the while, Bella's stardom has bubbled under the surface but has finally taken off.

When Bella arrived on the red carpet wearing that very revealing, thigh-baring red Alexandre Vauthier gown, the fashion world stopped and started taking real notice of Gigi's lesser-known sister. So just who is Bella Hadid? IBTimes UK lists some facts you may not have known about the up-and-coming model.

Family

Bella's mother is Yolanda Foster, a star in the reality series The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills, while her father is real estate developer Mohamed Hadid. Born in Los Angeles, California, Bella grew up with Gigi, younger brother Anwar Hadid, two older half-sisters Marielle and Alana, as well as five stepsisters from her stepfather David Foster, a prolific songwriter.

Career

Since signing to IMG Models in 2014, Bella's career has taken off with gigs including walking at New York Fashion Week for the likes of Chanel, Diane Von Furstenberg, Balmain, Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Jeremy Scott and Tommy Hilfiger.

Magazine shoots include Harper's Bazaar, Vogue Australia, Elle, GQ and Glamour magazine and she has also appeared in campaigns for the likes of Topshop and Samsung. What's more she is now the face of Misha Collection and has walked for the brand at Australian Fashion Week in May 2016.

Romance

Bella has been dating r'n'b singer The Weeknd since May 2015 when they are said to have met at Coachella Music Festival. The couple are fairly private about their relationship but The Weeknd, 26, opened up about the age gap between them in an interview with Rolling Stone. Revealing how their romance began, The Weeknd said: "I actually asked her to be on the artwork for Beauty Behind The Madness. My motive was literally to work with her. I was like: 'Alright, cool – we can meet up face-to-face.'"

He added of the age-gap: "It just kind of fell into my lap. If this had happened two years ago – well, she couldn't. But if I'd met someone two years ago, I probably would've f****d it up. But I'm more – how do I say it? – clear-thinking now."