There are a few reasons why Hailey Baldwin Bieber and Justin Bieber waited a while before having an actual wedding following their courthouse ceremony in 2018.

In her recent cover story for Elle, Baldwin, 23, revealed that one of the reasons for the 1-year delay was 25-year-old Bieber’s declining health.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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“He was really sick,” the model recalled. “He has Lyme disease, and he was dealing with a bunch of medical stuff. We didn’t have a diagnosis. And it was hard because everybody from the outside was being super mean and judgmental, saying he looked like he was on drugs, saying how unhealthy he looked, when in truth, he was not healthy and we didn’t know why.”

Not only was Baldwin adjusting to her new role as a wife, but she was also dealing with the stress of her husband’s health challenges. As a result, the wedding would have to wait.

“It was months of me being a new wife trying to help him figure out what was wrong and what was going on,” Baldwin explained. “Now, he’s perfectly healthy. But going through that and then trying to be like, ‘So where does our wedding fit into this?’ didn’t feel like the vibe at all.”

The model said the experience immediately tested their dedication to the “in sickness and in health” aspect of their vows. The public attention made things even harder.

“We went straight into figuring out the hard stuff. Because you never know what can happen with someone’s health. When you don’t know what’s happening, it’s really scary. And then you have the opinions of everybody from the outside, and it just sucks,” she said.

The couple did eventually have their wedding ceremony in South Carolina in September 2019.

Baldwin and Bieber dated for sometime when she was 19 years old before breaking up. Despite their past challenges though, Baldwin told Elle that she couldn’t imagine her life with anyone else.

“He was somebody I’d always cared about so deeply and loved very deeply,” she said. “Obviously, it took work and getting past things between the two of us, but it was all very worth it. He’s an incredible, amazing man and such a good partner to go through life with. There is no one else I would have ever wanted to spend my life with except him. So, I’m lucky.”

Justin Bieber, Hailey Baldwin
Pictured: Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin attend the John Elliott front row during New York Fashion Week: The Shows on September 6, 2018 in New York City. Getty Images/Nicholas Hunt