Anwar Hadid has set the record straight after posting a series of Instagram Stories that appeared to be about his ex-girlfriend Dua Lipa’s new boyfriend, Romain Gavras.
On 19 May, the British pop star made her first red carpet appearance with the 41-year-old director at the Cannes Film Festival. Dua Lipa, 27, was previously in a relationship with model Anwar Hadid, the younger brother of Gigi and Bella Hadid, for more than two years before they split in late 2021.
Following their red carpet debut, Hadid shared several cryptic messages to Instagram that many believed were in reference to Lipa’s new relationship. In one since-deleted Instagram Story that was reposted to Twitter, the 23-year-old model posted a selfie with the caption, “Trying to not to find and kill him,” along with a smiley face.
He then posted a second selfie taken in a bathroom mirror, this time writing, “I can’t breath [sic].”
Hadid also shared a blurry photo of himself with the caption, “I hate the way you say my name,” followed by another that read: “Have fun.”
Although the model’s Instagram Stories didn’t mention his ex-girlfriend by name, many social media users suggested the posts were in response to her new beau, while others simply found the cryptic messages to be “disturbing” and “weird”.
“Cringe,” wrote one person on Twitter.
“This is embarrassing,” another said.
A third user wrote: “Am I the only one who is actually disturbed and not ‘aw poor baby’ towards Anwar Hadid’s recent post… like it’s weird.”
Meanwhile, the Chicks In The Office co-hosts Maria Ciuffo and Francesca Mariano called the posts “concerning” in a recent podcast episode.
“If this is about [Dua Lipa], he’s not taking it well, but they also have been broken up for a while,” they said. “Even if it wasn’t directly at that, those are still concerning Instagram Stories.”
However, Anwar Hadid took to Instagram again on Monday to clarify his recent posts. The model blamed the internet for thinking his Stories were about Lipa, and added that his followers must have been “bored” to assume he was reacting to her new relationship.
“Crazy how the internet will just make whole articles about s*** they don’t know about!!” he wrote. “Y’all are bored as f****!!!! SORRY.”
Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid first started dating in 2019, before announcing they were “taking a break” in December 2021. “Dua and Anwar are currently taking a break from their relationship and are spending time apart,” a source told People at the time. “They’re figuring things out right now.”
Since then, the “Levitating” singer has sparked romance rumours with former The Daily Show host Trevor Noah and rapper Jack Harlow.
On Friday, Dua Lipa and Romain Gavras attended the Cannes Film Festival screening of Omar La Fraise (The King Of Algiers). The new couple posed for pictures on the red carpet as they were seen smiling together, holding hands, and embracing. Lipa wore a long black gown with cut-outs, while Gavras wore a black suit.
The “New Rules” singer and the music video director were first romantically linked in February, after they were seen leaving an event hand-in-hand during Paris Fashion Week. According to Entertainment Tonight, the couple had also been seen together at a party in London in March.
A source previously told The Sun that the couple had been getting acquainted “for several months” and “have been enjoying spending time together.”
“Dua knows how important it is to find someone who understands her industry. She feels Romain totally gets it. They’re both really creative people,” the source continued.
Gavras is best known for directing MIA’s video “Bad Girls”, Kanye West and Jay-Z’s video for “No Church in the Wild” from their collaborative album Watch The Throne, and the visual accompaniment for the Jamie xx track “Gosh”.
He dated Rita Ora for six months before they called it quits in March 2021.