Linda Evangelista is taking a company to court after claiming she was left “brutally disfigured” by a cosmetic procedure.
The supermodel rose to fame alongside the likes of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington but she has remained largely out of the spotlight for the past few years – and now she’s explained why.
Linda, 56, has admitted she no longer looks like herself after undergoing Zeltiq’s CoolSculpting procedure, which did the ‘opposite’ of what she had hoped and increased rather than decreased her fat cells leaving her “permanently deformed”.
Breaking her silence on Instagram, Linda described two corrective surgeries that had attempted to undo the damage as ‘painful’ and ‘unsuccessful.’
“Today I took a big step towards righting a wrong that I have suffered and have kept myself for over five years,” Linda started her post to her 900,000 followers.
“To my followers who have wondered why I have not been working while my peers’ careers have been thriving, the reason is that I was brutally disfigured by Zeltiq’s CoolSculpting procedure which did the opposite of what it promised.
“It increased, not decreased, my fat cells and left me permanently deformed even after undergoing two painful, unsuccessful, corrective surgeries. I have been left, as the media has described, ‘unrecognizable.’”
Linda says she has now developed Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH), which is described as the overgrowth of fatty adipose tissue and is a rare side effect of the procedure she underwent.
She added: “I have developed Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia or PAH, a risk of which I was not made aware of before I had the procedures.”
“PAH has not only destroyed my livelihood, it has sent me into a cycle of deep depression, profound sadness and the lowest depths of self-loathing. In the process, I have become a recluse,” she continued.
“With the lawsuit, I am moving forward to rid myself of my shame, and going public with my story.”
Linda is “tired” of hiding herself and wants to be able to “walk out her door with her head held high”.
To conclude her Instagram post, she explained: “I’m so tired of living this way. I would like to walk out my door with my head held high, despite not looking like myself any longer.”
Linda famously claimed she wouldn’t get out of bed for “less than $10,000 a day”.
“We have this saying, Christy and I … we don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day,” she told Vogue (via Vancouver Sun) back in October 1990.
“If you don’t look like you did when you’re young, it’s not good,” she told the Vancouver Sun.
“And, if you try to do something, people say, ‘Oh look, she’s trying to look young.’ You just can’t win.”
LINK LOVE
HOT DEALS
- Save $46.78 on the nutribullet PRO Single Serve Blender (900W) in matte lavender! Optimized 900-Watt motor and refined nutrient extraction blades blend the toughest whole foods into nutritious shakes, smoothies, and nut butters. [Best Buy]
- Save $120 on the Shark Navigator Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum! A 2-in-1 Powered Lift-Away® upright vacuum with a detachable canister for portable cleaning. With the touch of a button, Powered Lift-Away® technology allows you to lift the canister away and deep-clean hard-to-reach areas while still delivering power to keep the brushroll spinning. [Target]
- Save $30 on the Ninja™ CREAMi™ Ice Cream Maker, 5 One-Touch Programs, with 2 Pints Included! Turn almost anything into ice cream, sorbet, milkshakes, and more. [Walmart]
- Save $100 on the KitchenAid Artisan 10-Speed Stand Mixer – Hearth & Hand™ with Magnolia! This KitchenAid Artisan® Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer offers the capacity to make up to 9 dozen cookies in a single batch. And, it features 10 speeds to thoroughly mix, knead and whip ingredients quickly and easily. [Target]
- Save up to 50% on a Nectar mattress. The Nectar Spring Into Savings Sale is here, with some of the deepest discounts we’ve seen on their popular memory foam mattresses and sleep bundles. [Nectar]
- Save $500 on the Samsung – 55” Class LS03D The Frame Series QLED 4K with Anti-Reflection and Slim Fit Wall Mount Included (2024). [Best Buy]
- Save $50 with code! Theragun Prime is a powerful, easy-to-use massage gun in a simple design for effective pain relief. Whether you’re recovering from the daily grind or fueling your active lifestyle, its deep, targeted massage helps your body feel its best. [Therabody]
- Save 5% on the Bombas Men’s Gripper Ankle Sock 4-Pack. [Bombas]
Like most websites, Socialite Life uses affiliate links where available, which means we earn a little commission if you click through and buy something. Also, as Amazon Influencers, we earn from qualifying purchases. Savings shown are those from the date and time of this article’s publication.
