The Met Gala returned after a 17-month delay on Monday, with the biggest stars in fashion flocking to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art for the event. There was one notable absence, however – model Bella Hadid.
It led to online speculation that she had not been vaccinated, as that was a strict stipulation for attending the closely guarded event.
Despite being a no-show, Hadid, 24, confirmed that she has been vaccinated with an Instagram story captioned "for anyone concerned".
The photo shows her having a vaccine administered in a medical clinic, while wearing a black face mask and a relaxed jumper with leggings. The story was a screen grab of her camera reel, dated August 6.
Her sister, Gigi Hadid, 26, attended the event, wearing Prada. The sisters have attended the annual extravaganza of fashion and celebrity together in the past.
The Met Gala's Covid-19 protocols made headlines after rapper Nicki Minaj said she was not going, having not been vaccinated. She later said she skipped the Met Gala over childcare concerns, not its vaccine mandate.
Regardless, the Super Bass rapper, 38, sparked backlash from politicians in the UK after sharing a story on social media about a man who claims to have been made impotent by the vaccine.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid urged those in the public eye not to spread "untruths" while the Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, also took issue with the comments.
Despite the strict regulations, the Met Gala pulled in a high-profile crowd, with Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna all returning to the New York museum for the event.
Singer Billie Eilish, 19, was the youngest person ever to be invited to co-chair the event. She was joined by actor Timothee Chalamet, 25, President Joe Biden's inauguration poet Amanda Gorman, 23, and tennis star Naomi Osaka, 23.
See who wore what to the 2021 Met Gala here:
– Additional reporting by PA
