Hailey Bieber is getting candid about her health.
In March 22, the Rhode founder, 29, suffered what is commonly described as a "mini stroke," a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) caused by a blood clot in the brain.
One year later, she revealed it led to her diagnosis with patent foramen ovale, or PFO, which the Mayo Clinic describes as a hole, a small flaplike opening between the upper heart chambers, that didn't close the way it should after birth. It is generally asymptomatic and most people never need treatment for it.
© Getty Images for Vogue AustraliaHailey, appearing on Jake Shane's Therapuss podcast on Wednesday, February 19, opened up about the aftermath of her mini stroke — and a surgery to treat her heart condition — and how it has made her "more nervous" about her health.
"A couple of years ago, I had a crazy medical situation. I had a mini stroke," she recalled, explaining: "Then I found that I had this heart defect that I was born with, so I had to get surgery for it, which sounds really crazy, but they went through my groin and I was in and out of the hospital the same day."
Hailey noted that she has always been fascinated "with the body and medicine and doctors," and now, not only does she remain fascinated, but also all the more vigilant.
© WireImage"That situation made me a little bit extra hyper-aware of my body and a little bit more nervous about things and staying on top of them," she confessed, and emphasized: "But I've just always been really focused and fascinated on health."
One year after her mini stroke and the surgery to close the hole in her heart, Hailey, writing on Instagram Stories, said: "I like to make jokes about how I feel because sometimes it's easier than admitting I’m having a hard time," adding: "But truthfully since 2023 started I have had some of the saddest, hardest moments I've ever had in my adult life and my mind and emotions have been fragile to say the least. And I know so many other people feel the same way I feel, so just know you're not alone."
"It was also kind of what led me to want to [start my beauty company], Rhode. My obsession with skincare also comes from my obsession with medicine," Hailey ultimately noted on the podcast..
© InstagramRhode, the model's skincare beauty brand, was launched in June 2022, some months after she suffered her mini-stroke. In May 2025, e.l.f. Beauty announced a definitive agreement to acquire the brand, which is now also sold at Sephora, in a deal valued at $1 billion.
© Getty ImagesHailey also opened up about her health when she was pregnant with her son with husband Justin Bieber, Jack Blues, who was born August 2024, while speaking with W Magazine about the internet being a "scary place" when you're pregnant, and the negative outcomes of getting health information online.
"You see so many stories — traumatic birth stories, traumatic experiences — and I know that that's very real," she said at the time, though maintained she didn't "want to scare" herself.
