Gigi Hadid Commemorates Khai’s 5th Birthday with Exclusive Photos

Gigi Hadid is joyous as she marks the 5th birthday of her beloved daughter, Khai.

The 30-year-old model shared a series of photos of Khai on Instagram Stories on Friday, September 19, featuring a mix of recent pictures and pregnancy throwbacks.

“My girl is 5 today 🥲,” Hadid wrote alongside a picture of herself and Khai in what appeared to be a barn. Khai, sporting her long blonde hair in a braid, wore a denim jacket paired with fringed brown horseback riding chaps and pink cowgirl boots. Hadid sported a camo sweatshirt and cap as she squatted beside her daughter, whom she shares with ex Zayn Malik.

“Happy birthday to my greatest love & gift,” Hadid continued.

In another Instagram Stories update, Hadid posted a nostalgic behind-the-scenes photo from her beautiful maternity shoot in 2020, captioning it, “Khai loading.”

“So lucky to be your mama,” Hadid added over another maternity image.

In one final post, Hadid shared a candid photo from October 2023, holding Khai while adding a flaming heart emoji in the caption. (Khai’s face was obscured in all the images.)

The former couple welcomed their daughter in September 2020. Almost a year later, Hadid and Malik, now 32, made a public plea for privacy regarding Khai.

“You know we have never intentionally shared our daughter’s face on social media. Our wish is that she can choose how to share herself with the world when she comes of age, and that she can live as normal of a childhood as possible, without worrying about a public image that she has not chosen,” Hadid expressed on Instagram in July 2021. “It would mean the world to us, as we take our daughter to see and explore NYC and the world, if you would PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE blur her face out of the images, and if and when she is caught on camera, I know it’s an extra effort, but as a new mom, I just want the best for my baby, as all parents do….”

The couple parted ways in October 2021 after Malik entered a no-contest plea to four harassment charges against Gigi’s mother, Yolanda Hadid. He received a sentence from a Pennsylvania court comprising 360 days of probation, alongside counseling for anger management and domestic violence.

Malik and Gigi, who began dating Bradley Cooper in fall 2023, co-parent Khai.

“Co-parenting is good, yeah,” Malik told “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper earlier that year. “We have a really good relationship for Khai, she is the main importance. So, yeah, it’s going well. I think.”

Gigi provided further insight into their arrangement in a March interview with Vogue. “Zayn and I do our custody schedules months in advance,” she explained. “That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t change here and there, but we help each other out and have each other’s backs.”

She added that despite public perceptions, there remains “love and camaraderie” between her and her ex.

“There is the tough aspect of the world knowing so much and thinking they understand everything,” Gigi remarked. “At the end of the day, we’re not interested in sharing our entire story. What we are focused on is raising our daughter together, with immense respect for each other, not just as co-parents, but for everything we’ve been through.”

Last year, Malik penned a heartfelt message for Khai’s 4th birthday, writing on Instagram, “Happy birthday to the most important person in my life, I love you more than words can express; beyond proud to call you my daughter… Grateful for every second I spend with you as you grow into the incredible person I know you already are. Four years ago today, my life changed forever, and I wouldn’t be the man I am today without you.”