ICYMI, Gigi Hadid morphed into a badass between runway shows during Milan Fashion Week in Italy on Thursday, September 22.
The Tommy X Gigi designer, 21, showed off her powerful self-defense skills (she’s big into boxing, FYI) when a stranger grabbed her from behind and lifted her up — as a sidewalk crowd looked on — in a scary moment after the Max Mara show. Watch the video above to see the scuffle in its entirety and view Hadid’s reaction to the assault.
In the clip, captured by photographers who were nearby, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model can be heard yelling, “Let go of me! Who the f–k are you?” as the man grabs her by surprise. “You piece of s–t!” she exclaims while he runs away.
After the harrowing incident, which happened while her younger sister, Bella Hadid, was by her side, the Maybelline spokesperson took to Twitter to voice her frustration. “[I] had EVERY RIGHT to defend myself,” she declared to her fans. “How dare that idiot thinks he has the right to man-handle a complete stranger. He ran quick tho 👊😏🐱.”
Hadid’s family — including her mother, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Yolanda Foster — applauded her for her courage. “❤️Bravo Gigi for defending yourself and standing up for what is rightfully yours, your mind, body and soul should not be touched by anyone unless you want to……….. #GirlPower #Boundaries #Defense #BoxingSkills @gothamgym,” Foster, 52, shared via Instagram, calling out Gigi’s boxing studio, Gotham Gym.
Meanwhile, the man behind the stunt, infamous prankster Vitalii Sediuk, has released a statement of his own. “While I consider Gigi Hadid beautiful, she and her friend Kendall Jenner have nothing to do with high fashion. By doing this, I encourage the fashion industry to put true talents on the runway and Vogue covers instead of well-connected cute girls from Instagram,” the Ukrainian-born troublemaker told The Hollywood Reporter. Sediuk is best known as the man who famously hid beneath America Ferrera’s skirt in May 2014 before being thrown out of the U.S. for hassling Brad Pitt at the Maleficent premiere that same month. Since that time, he’s added Kim Kardashian, Vogue editor Anna Wintour and Miranda Kerr to his list of victims.
He concluded, “You can call it a manifest or a protest. This is also a wake-up call for Anna Wintour, who turned Vogue into a tabloid by putting Kardashians and other similar celebrities on a cover of a well-respected magazine.”
