Bella Hadid: 'Social media is not real' - supermodel speaks out on mental health struggles

Supermodel Bella Hadid has spoken out about her mental health struggles and the negative impacts of social media.

In a post on Instagram on Tuesday, the 25-year-old told her 47 million followers: "Social media is not real. For anyone struggling, please remember that."

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She posted photographs of herself crying as part of the post.

The Washington-born model and influencer said she had suffered mental health breakdowns and burnouts.

Ms Hadid, whose older sister Gigi is also a model, spoke of her mental health "rollercoaster", and urged her fans to remember they're not alone.

"Sometimes all you’ve gotta hear is that you’re not alone. So from me to you, you’re not alone. I love you, I see you, and I hear you", she wrote.

She encouraged her followers to work on their mental health, and to "understand or learn more" about their "pain" and how to handle it.

The Instagram post - which has been liked almost a million times on the app - was in response to a video by the singer and actor Willow Smith, who spoke about her own mental health struggles.

Ms Hadid told Willow "I love you and I love your words".

"It made me feel a little less alone and that’s why I’d like to post this,"Bella said.

Following her post, the supermodel received messages of support from the fashion industry and beyond. Her sister Gigi commented "I love you!". Willow Smith replied: "Your honesty and tenderness heals so many".Bella, who was voted Model of the Year in 2016, ended her post: "Thank you for seeing me and thank you for listening. I love you".