Hailey Baldwin on dating Justin Bieber: 'It's hard'

LOS ANGELES, April 12 (UPI) -- Hailey Baldwin is opening up about her much-publicized relationship with Justin Bieber.

The 19-year-old model discussed the 22-year-old singer in the May issue of Marie Claire magazine, admitting it can be challenging to date another celebrity.

"I don't want attention out of dating somebody," Baldwin asserted. "Texts started coming through, crazy phone calls...it's hard to date somebody in this industry."

"You have to have really thick skin and be very strong," she said of the constant scrutiny. "You have to focus on the person and nothing else."

Baldwin and Bieber are longtime friends who were first romantically linked in 2014. The pair appeared to confirm their relationship by sharing a kiss photo in January, but Baldwin later told E! News she and the singer aren't exclusive.

"We are not an exclusive couple," she said. "He's about to go on tour. Relationships at this age are already complicated, but I don't really like to talk about it because it's between me and him."

"I live a very public life and I have to keep things personal or else I have no personal life," she explained. "It really is my personal business. And I like to think my relationships are not between me, the person and the whole entire world."

Much of the speculation surrounds Bieber's apparent lingering feelings for ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez. The singer shared a throwback kiss photo with the 23-year-old actress in March despite having split from Gomez in 2014 after years of on-and-off dating.

Baldwin is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and niece to actor Alec Baldwin. She has modeled for Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Topshop, while Bieber last released the album Purpose in November.