Exes and co-parents Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik offered a rare look into their lives with their daughter Khai in celebration of her fourth birthday. Both Hadid and Malik touched on how Khai has completely changed their world, with Hadid sharing lots of photos of Khai during her birthday week on Instagram. In one shot, Khai’s full name can be seen for the first time: Khai Malik.
“Our girl is 4 today, and we celebrated all week!!!” Hadid wrote. “She loves animals (fantastical ones too), music, baby yoda, all things nature & bugs, Descendants, anything squishy or miniature, and if possible- will be in the water from dawn til dusk. 🐬 She is curious, adventurous, loving, and oh so witty ⚡️⚡️ Khai- it is my life’s greatest joy and pride to be your mama!!!! Thank you for the four best years of my life- you remind me to live life to the fullest every day, in the most simple & beautiful ways. Your possibilities are endless, my sweetest love !!!! 🦄🪱🧁🪐🥑🧜♀️🐣🎸🏖️ YODA BEST 💚🩷”
Malik shared his own photo with Khai and wrote on Instagram, “Happy birthday to the most important person in my life, I love you more than words allow me to express, beyond proud to call you my daughter.. grateful for every second I get to spend next to you, as you become 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.”
The parents made a point not to show their daughter’s face, which they have done since she was born to protect her privacy. In July 2021, Hadid explained the rationale behind their decision in an open letter to press, paparazzi, and fans. “You know we have never intentionally shared our daughter’s face on social media,” she wrote. “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.”
Malik and Hadid both regularly speak about Khai in interviews, though. Malik told Call Her Daddy last year that he and Hadid split custody evenly. They cherish any and all time with Khai, he added.
“I have her 50 percent of the time, so that time I have with her is so important because I feel like she’s growing up so fast,” Malik said. “So when I’m with her, I don’t work like at all. I just spend a full day with her doing things that she wants to do like painting, Play-Doh, this, that. Go to the park, go to the theme park, go to the zoo. Like, we just have fun, and I feel like I’ve rekindled my own childhood through her, you know I’m saying? I feel like we get to certain point in in adult life where everything’s kind of vague and gray and boring, and she’s brought that color back for me for sure, yeah.”
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.