Supermodel Anok Yai is pulling back the curtain on a terrifying health battle she’s been fighting in silence.
The 28-year-old runway star – who was just named the Fashion Awards’ 2025 Model of the Year – revealed Friday that she has been diagnosed with a congenital defect that has been quietly wreaking havoc on her body, ‘overworking’ her heart and ‘destroying’ her lungs.
‘For the past year I’ve been dealing with this silent battle. I incidentally found out I had a Congenital defect overworking my heart and slowly destroying my lungs,’ Anok wrote alongside videos and photos from her hospital stay.
She explained that what began as something barely noticeable quickly spiraled into frightening symptoms.
‘What started as something asymptomatic for the majority of my life turned into a lingering cough, which turned to chest pains, bouts of coughing up blood, then at times struggling to breathe,’ she continued.
‘Ive always thought I could outwork or outrun anything but the universe has a way of slowing you down and waking you up.’
Supermodel Anok Yai is pulling back the curtain on a terrifying health battle she’s been fighting in silence; (pictured October 28)
The 28-year-old runway star – who was just named the Fashion Awards’ 2025 Model of the Year- revealed Friday that she has been diagnosed with a congenital defect that has been quietly wreaking havoc on her body, ‘overworking’ her heart and ‘destroying’ her lungs
The model then revealed she recently underwent a major procedure – and thankfully, it was a success.
‘So yesterday I had a successful Robotic Lung Surgery thanks to Dr. Robert Cerfolio and his gracious and talented team who I am forever indebted to for giving me more time,’ she shared.
Robotic thoracic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure used to remove diseased lung tissue and surrounding lymph nodes, according to the American Lung Association.
Anok went on to thank the doctors who helped uncover the condition before it became even more dangerous.
‘And I am forever grateful for Dr. Harmik Soukiasian and everyone at the @beverlyhillsconciergehealth for discovering my condition,’ she wrote.
‘Thank you to all the doctors and amazing nurses at @nyulangone. And thank you to my friends and family for being the first thing I saw when I woke up.’
Despite the ordeal, the supermodel made it clear she’s not slowing down for long.
‘For now I’m healing … but I’ll be back. See ya.’
‘For the past year I’ve been dealing with this silent battle. I incidentally found out I had a Congenital defect overworking my heart and slowly destroying my lungs,’ Anok wrote alongside videos and photos from her hospital stay
The model then revealed she recently underwent a robotic surgery – and thankfully, it was a success.
Her health revelation comes just months after a separate, highly publicized moment in her career.
In December 2024, Anok publicly asked the British Fashion Awards not to nominate her for any future honors after losing the Model of the Year title to transgender model Alex Consani.
The American model – who was born in Egypt and raised in New Hampshire – later took to X in a since-deleted post, admitting she felt ‘exhausted’ by the current state of the fashion industry.
That year’s shortlist also included Alva Claire, Amelia Gray, Liu Wen, and Mona Tougaard, with Consani ultimately taking home the coveted prize.
Consani had already made history earlier in the year as one of the first transgender models to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Ahead of the ceremony, many fans had tipped Anok to win, noting her groundbreaking career — including becoming only the second Black model after Naomi Campbell to open a Prada show.
After the loss, Anok fueled speculation by sharing an uncaptioned image of Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, which many interpreted as a pointed reaction to the outcome and a perceived snub by the British Fashion Council.
The Sudanese-descended supermodel later congratulated Consani publicly on X before addressing the fashion body directly.
In December 2024, Anok publicly asked the British Fashion Awards not to nominate her for any future honors after losing the Model of the Year title to transgender model Alex Consani
Consani (right) had already made history earlier in the year as one of the first transgender models to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
‘Alex, I love you and I’m proud of you. British Fashion Council, thank you but I don’t want it anymore,’ she wrote in the deleted post.
She went on to clarify that her frustration was not directed at her peer.
‘If you have seen the effort that I’ve seen Alex put in; you would understand how proud I am of her,’ Anok continued. But Alex can be proud and I can be exhausted at the same time.
‘It doesn’t take away how much love we have for each other.’
