Gigi Hadid appears to have recovered from a harrowing experience after a stranger manhandled her on the streets of Milan. However, the attacker Vitalii Sediuk brushed off allegations that he assaulted the supermodel.
Several hours after Hadid fought off Sediuk who grabbed her as she exited the MaxMara fashion show in Milan on Sept. 22, Thursday, the supermodel was spotted leaving a hotel in a lighthearted mood. Photographs posted on Daily Mail showed her with a smile on her face as she walked towards a chauffeured car to continue her Milan Fashion Week appointments.
The supermodel even stopped to take selfies and pictures with some of the fans outside the hotel. Hadid was accompanied by her sister Bella Hadid who was also present during Sediuk's earlier attack.
In videos of the said incident, Sediuk grabbed and lifted Gigi, as she and Bella headed toward their chauffeured car after the MaxMara fashion show. The supermodel struggled to break free and managed to elbow the Ukraine born troublemaker in the neck before he let Gigi go. A security personnel then prevented the furious model's attempt to chase after Sediuk as he ran away.
Gigi's behavior during her Milan Fashion Week street ambush elicited mixed reactions from fans and critics. Many fans conveyed their support and applauded her for defending herself against Sediuk's attack; however, a few critics labeled her action as unbefitting of a supermodel.
Recently, the Tommy Hilfiger Global Ambassador took to social media to respond to a Twitter fan who slammed a report that described Gigi's reaction as "not model behavior." After she expressed her appreciation to Twitter user Rachel McGrath for speaking up against the said report, she justified her actions as a basic "right to defend [herself]."
Meanwhile, Sediuk explained his motives in a statement released to The Hollywood Reporter. Gigi’s Milan Fashion Week attacker has been known as a red carpet menace who previously accosted Leonardo DiCarprio, Will Smith, Brad Pitt and more.
Sediuk described his action as a “manifest or protest” against models, such as Gigi and Kendall Jenner, whom he claimed “have nothing to do with high fashion.” He also denied claims that the incident is an attack, despite allegations that his recent stunt is a form of assault.
Watch Gigi and Sediuk’s Milan Fashion Week confrontation below: