What Really Happened Between Gigi Hadid And Cody Simpson?

Once upon a time, Gigi Hadid and Cody Simpson were considered teen royalty. In case you forgot, the supermodel and the Australian crooner dated when they were industry rookies, and what started as puppy love turned into a full-blown romance that lasted a few years.

The "La Da Dee" singer admitted that he first saw Hadid through an ad and was instantly smitten back in 2013. "My friend and I drove past a Guess store, and I was immediately infatuated by this chick. She looked beautiful," he recalled in an interview with Teen Vogue. Luckily, his friend was acquainted with the model, so Simpson asked for an introduction. "It was cool because for a while we just kind of kept it on the down-low while she was still trying to get started," he said of the beginning of their relationship. "Now she's a supermodel."

Simpson was initially adamant about keeping their relationship private until he thought it'd be a great idea to have Hadid star in one of his music videos. "I try to keep my personal life and my public life separate, but I was like, 'Why not kind of mix the two?'" he told Us Weekly, adding that since it was a "sexy video," their "natural chemistry" showed. "We had a couple kisses on camera and stuff, and they honestly had to tell us to stop after they cut." Unfortunately, seeing as they're two stars, the constant media attention and their grueling schedules tore them apart.

Gigi Hadid and Cody Simpson broke up twice while dating. The first one happened in 2014, with a source telling E! News that their "busy schedules and living on opposite coasts have made it nearly impossible for the two of them to give the relationship the attention that it needs." Hadid confirmed this in an interview with Women's Wear Daily when debunking assumptions that she was the one who wanted to part ways. "I love Cody to death and he loves me. And he needed his time to focus on his music and he's the one who broke up with me. We're still best friends and I'll always respect him and support his career."

The breakup didn't last long, as the former couple reunited months after their initial split. But in May 2015, they called it quits for good for nearly the same reasons. "Cody and Gigi want each other to be in a place right now that allows him to only focus on his music, fans, and new message, while she can focus and continue building her career," Hadid's representative confirmed to Us Weekly and clarified that there's no bad blood between them.

Simpson also offered more insight into the breakup, revealing that he hated how high profile it became. "The highly publicized thing made me uncomfortable," he shared in an interview with Du Jour. "Going out to dinner and there being all this paparazzi and stuff... as soon as we split I had the realization that I was straying away from who I was as a whole person."

After splitting from Gigi Hadid, it took Cody Simpson quite a while to rejoin the dating pool once again. It wasn't until 2018 that it was reported he was dating Lindsay Lohan's younger sister, Ali Lohan. He was also linked to model Clair Wuestenberg and Marloes Stevens, and at one point, he even briefly dated Miley Cyrus. Interestingly, Simpson shifted his career focus to competitive swimming in 2019. There, he met fellow swimmer Emma McKeon, who he's now dating. "It's pretty easy. We have the same schedule. We're tired at the same time, hungry at the same time, it's all that kind of stuff," she shared of their relationship to Sydney Morning Herald. "We can support each other so well in what we do and kind of understand what's going on at different points."

Meanwhile, Hadid dated Joe Jonas after splitting with Simpson, and got involved in an on-again-off-again relationship with Zayn Malik, with whom she shares a child. If there's one thing that hasn't changed, though, it's that Simpson will always be supportive of his ex. "I'll always be happy for her," he told Us Weekly. "As a model she's achieved the highest of heights and I'll always be happy for her."