Huda Mustafa: Age, Family, Career, and the Real Story Behind the Best Rising Star 2026

If you’ve been on TikTok or tuned into Love Island USA Season 7 in 2025, you’ve almost certainly come across Huda Mustafa. Part fitness coach, part reality TV star, and full-time mother — Huda has become one of the most talked-about personalities to emerge from the show. But who exactly is she beyond the villa drama?

This in-depth guide covers everything you need to know about Huda Mustafa’s age, family background, career journey, and the values that define her.

Quick Facts About Huda Mustafa

Detail	Information
Full Name	Huda Mustafa
Date of Birth	August 30, 2000
Age (2026)	25 years old
Birthplace	Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Nationality	American
Ethnicity	Palestinian-American
Height	Approx. 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Weight	Approx. 55 kg (121 lbs)
Daughter	Arleigh Kalila Sheline (born 2020)
Ex-Partner	Noah Sheline
Current Partner	Louis Russell (as of September 2025)
Profession	Fitness Coach, Social Media Influencer, Reality TV Personality
TikTok	@hudabubbaaa (6M+ followers)
Estimated Net Worth	$1.5M–$3M (2026)

Early Life and Age

Huda Mustafa was born on August 30, 2000, in Raleigh, North Carolina. As of 2026, she is 25 years old. She announced her age herself in the first episode of Love Island USA Season 7, and it quickly became a talking point — because few people expected that someone so young had already built a career, navigated single motherhood, and grown a multi-million-follower social media following.

Her age over the years, for reference:

Year	Age
2020	19
2021	20
2022	21
2023	22
2024	23
2025	24
2026	25

She grew up in a modest household where money was never abundant. As she shared on the Call Her Daddy podcast, her upbringing was humble — no smartphones until around 16, no privileges handed to her. What she did have was resilience, a strong-willed mother, and a cultural identity that would shape everything she became.

Family Background

Huda’s family roots are deeply Palestinian. Her parents immigrated to the United States and built their lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Huda was raised as a first-generation Palestinian-American. Her father was a business owner, and her mother worked as a teacher.

She is one of five siblings, and by all accounts, growing up was not easy. Huda has spoken candidly about an abusive household, losing contact with her father around age 16, and the emotional toll those years took on her.

She also battled an eating disorder during her teenage years — a struggle she has been open about as part of her broader message of self-love and healing.

Despite the turbulence, her mother remained her foundation. That maternal strength is something Huda frequently cites as her greatest source of motivation.

Her cultural identity also remained central — she uses Arabic phrases in her content, has Arabic tattoos, and proudly represented her heritage with Palestinian flag emojis in her Love Island bio.

Becoming a Mother

One of the most defining aspects of Huda Mustafa’s life is her role as a mother. In July 2020, at just 19 years old, she gave birth to her daughter Arleigh Kalila Sheline. The father is Noah Sheline, who serves in the United States Army. Though their romantic relationship ended, the two co-parent Arleigh and have maintained a respectful dynamic.

When Huda revealed on Love Island USA that she had a daughter, it created a standout television moment. Her co-star Jeremiah Brown’s visible surprise said everything — and yet Huda handled it with the calm confidence of someone who has never been ashamed of her story.

Motherhood is not just a personal chapter for Huda — it’s a central part of her public brand. She posts about her daughter’s birthdays, shares glimpses of their life together, and regularly speaks about how being a mom drives every professional decision she makes.

Career Beginnings

Before she was a social media star, Huda was a freelance makeup artist catering to weddings and local events in Raleigh. She had the creative flair and the client eye, and she built a small but loyal following during those early years.

But makeup was just the starting point. Her real passion — and her real calling — was fitness. She transitioned into online fitness coaching, building a business centered around women’s strength, confidence, and body positivity.

Her coaching programs offer personalized workout plans and nutrition guidance, with a focus on helping women feel powerful in their own skin.

This pivot was both personal and professional. Having struggled with an eating disorder herself, fitness became a form of healing. That authenticity — coaching from lived experience rather than just credentials — is what made her audience grow.

Entering the Spotlight: Love Island USA Season 7

Huda’s television debut came in June 2025, when she entered the Love Island USA Season 7 villa in Fiji as an original islander. She was announced as part of the cast on May 29, 2025, and the show premiered on June 3, 2025 on Peacock.

From day one, she made an impression. She was paired with Jeremiah Brown in the first episode, and their dynamic became one of the season’s most-discussed storylines.

Huda’s directness, emotional honesty, and refusal to soften herself for public approval made her a polarizing but compelling figure. Some fans loved her. Others found her style abrasive. What nobody could do was ignore her.

Post-show, she made headlines again when she made her relationship with Louis Russell — a British model and fellow reality TV personality — Instagram official in September 2025. The pairing drew attention and affection from fans who had followed her journey through the season.

Love Island USA Highlights

Entered as an original islander on Day 1
Initially paired with Jeremiah Brown
Revealed single motherhood on the show — a rare and talked-about moment
Became one of Season 7’s most-discussed contestants
Gained over 160,000 new Instagram followers in her first week on air

Physical Appearance

Huda stands at approximately 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) and weighs around 55 kg. Her athletic build is a direct result of her years in fitness coaching — she practices what she preaches. She is often seen sporting a nose ring, and she has multiple meaningful tattoos, including an Arabic phrase on her thigh and a long tattoo running down her back.

These aren’t just aesthetic choices — they carry personal and cultural significance, connecting her visibly to her Palestinian heritage.

Lifestyle and Personal Values

Huda Mustafa’s lifestyle is built on a few non-negotiable pillars:

Fitness: She trains consistently and documents her gym routines for her followers
Motherhood: Arleigh comes first, always — every career decision is filtered through that lens
Cultural pride: She embraces her Arab-American identity openly and unapologetically
Authenticity: She doesn’t curate a perfect image — she shows the struggle alongside the success
Mental health advocacy: Having dealt personally with an eating disorder and difficult family circumstances, she speaks about mental wellness without flinching

Her approach to faith has also been a topic of curiosity. As a Muslim woman navigating the world of mainstream reality television, her presence sparked important conversations about representation and cultural nuance in entertainment spaces.

Social Media Presence

Huda’s digital following is substantial and continues to grow:

TikTok (@hudabubbaaa): 6 million+ followers
Instagram (@hudabubbaaa): 4.9 million+ followers
Combined audience: Over 11.5 million across platforms (2026)

Her TikTok content leans heavily into fitness lifestyle — gym videos, workout tips, motivational posts, and candid life updates. Her Instagram is a mix of polished personal moments and behind-the-scenes glimpses. Her captions tend to be motivational, encouraging followers to stay strong even when life gets messy.

Before Love Island, she already had over 100,000 Instagram followers and active brand deals. In just the first week of airing, she gained 160,000 new Instagram followers — and the numbers have climbed significantly since.

Net Worth and Business Ventures

Huda Mustafa’s estimated net worth in 2026 sits between $1.5 million and $3 million. Her income streams are well-diversified:

Online fitness coaching business — personalized programs for women
Brand partnerships and sponsorships — beauty, wellness, and lifestyle brands
Social media monetization — TikTok and Instagram ad revenue
Reality TV appearance fee — Love Island USA Season 7
Post-show opportunities — brand collaborations and motivational speaking

Industry estimates suggest her combined TikTok and Instagram earnings alone could generate over $1 million annually based on her audience size and engagement rate. That number is only set to grow as her post-Love Island profile continues to expand.

Fun Facts and Personal Insights

🕌 She is of Palestinian descent and proudly celebrates her Arab heritage
🌹 Her name “Huda” is an Arabic word meaning “right guidance” or “right path”
🎨 She started her career as a freelance makeup artist for weddings and events
💪 She’s a certified fitness coach who runs her own online coaching business
🧴 Her daughter’s name is Arleigh Kalila Sheline, born in July 2020
📍 She was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina
💬 She has two Arabic phrase tattoos — one on her thigh, one on her chest
🧠 She has spoken openly about battling an eating disorder as a teenager
👶 She became a mother at 19 years old
💑 She made her relationship with Louis Russell official in September 2025

Why Her Story Matters

Huda Mustafa’s story is not just a celebrity biography — it’s a reflection of something bigger. Arab-American women are rarely given screen time on mainstream dating shows. When they do appear, their identities are often flattened or misread. Huda changed that narrative simply by showing up fully as herself.

She’s a single mother who didn’t hide her daughter to seem more “datable” on a TV show. She’s a fitness entrepreneur who built a business through grit rather than privilege. She’s a Palestinian-American woman who wore her heritage as a badge of honor in a space that wasn’t always designed to understand it.

For the millions of first-generation Arab-Americans, young single mothers, and women rebuilding themselves after difficult childhoods — Huda Mustafa is not just relatable. She’s a mirror.

Conclusion

So, how old is Huda Mustafa? She’s 25 years old in 2026 — and she’s already lived more chapters than most people twice her age. From a humble upbringing in Raleigh to a viral Love Island moment, from a teenage eating disorder to a thriving fitness coaching business, from becoming a mother at 19 to building a social media following of over 11 million — her story is one of continuous reinvention.

She is proof that authenticity, even when it’s messy, connects. And if her trajectory so far is any indication, the best of Huda Mustafa’s story is still ahead.