Linda Evangelista Says She's 'Permanently Deformed' After Cosmetic Procedure

Linda Evangelista is explaining why she’s disappeared from the public eye.

In a candid post titled “The Truth, My Story” shared on Wednesday (September 22), the 56-year-old former supermodel opened up about being left “permanently deformed” after undergoing the fat-reduction procedure CoolSculpting.

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“Today I took a big step towards righting a wrong that I have suffered and have kept to myself for over five years,” Linda wrote on Instagram. “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.”

She continued, “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 then went on to explain the “deep depression” she is now living with.

“I have developed Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia or PAH, a risk of which I was not made aware before I had the procedures,” Linda wrote. “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.”

Linda has been out of the spotlight for years, with one of the last public appearances being back in 2015.

“With this lawsuit, I am moving forward to rid myself of my shame, and going public with my story,” Linda concluded. “I am so tired of living this way. I would like to walk out my door with my head high, despite not looking like myself any longer.”