Gigi Hadid talks about 'relieving tension' amid having Hashimoto's disease

Gigi Hadid has been quite vocal about having Hashimoto’s disease. 

In a conversation with Elle Magazine, she revealed, "My metabolism actually changed like crazy this year. I have Hashimoto's disease.”

"It's a thyroid disease, and it's now been two years since taking the medication for it, so for the Victoria Secret show I didn't want to lose any more weight, I just want to have muscles in the right place, and if my butt can get a little perkier, then that's good,” Gig added.

In the same interview, she also discussed how cruel people became over her body changes and that she screams into a pillow to release some tension - a trick she says she picked up from her mum.

"Literally, screaming into a pillow helps," she said, adding, "One time I was on set for a beach shoot, and my mum said, 'Go scream into the ocean. It relieves the tension.'"

For the unversed, Hashimoto’s disease is when your immune system starts attacking your thyroid gland, causing it to swell and become damaged.

The thyroid gland is found in the neck and it controls the body's growth, metabolism as well as hormonal cycle.

According to the NHS, people who suffer with Hashimoto’s disease will have symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland, which can include fatigue, weight gain, constipation, dry skin and depression.

In some cases, the swollen thyroid gland may also cause a lump to form in your throat, known as a goitre.

There is no known cause for Hashimoto's disease but it sometimes appears to run in families.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis can't be cured, but the symptoms are often easily treated with a thyroid hormone replacement medication (levothyroxine), which is usually taken for life.