In the 1990s, Linda Evangelista held a prestigious status as one of the leading supermodels. Born on May 10, 1965, in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, she became celebrated for her influential role with Revlon and Versace. Evangelista’s illustrious career spanned over 700 magazine covers, earning her a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 from Vogue and VH1. Despite the decline of the supermodel era in the late 1990s, she continued to receive accolades, including a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2003 and a feature in the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition in 2009.
The Impact of CoolSculpting
However, Evangelista’s life took a sharp turn following a series of CoolSculpting sessions between 2015 and 2016. This noninvasive procedure, intended to freeze away fat cells, resulted in significant disfigurement. The treatments led to a rare side effect known as paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), causing the growth of hard fatty tissue in treated areas. Despite her attempts to address the issue through diet, exercise, and multiple surgeries, the damage persisted. This experience drove Evangelista into a profound silence, isolating her from the public and her professional circle.
Breaking Her Silence
In an effort to break her silence, Evangelista sent an email to her fashion circle, including Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell, revealing the ordeal she had endured. She expressed her struggle with existence within a bubble and her desire to break free, stating, “I couldn’t live with it anymore. I wanted to go outside.” Despite her acceptance of aging, Evangelista admitted to using Botox on her forehead, calling herself a “hypocrite.” She emphasized her desire for wrinkles and the willingness to embrace the aging process, expressing a genuine wish to witness her son grow into a fine young man.
Public Disclosure and Legal Action
In September 2021, Evangelista courageously disclosed the emotional toll of her CoolSculpting experience in an Instagram post. Describing the procedure as a popular method, she revealed that it had left her “permanently deformed,” emotionally devastated, and ultimately compelled to withdraw from public life. She explained the development of PAH and her decision to pursue legal action as a means of “moving forward to rid myself of my shame.” Despite undergoing two full-body liposuction surgeries at her own expense, the PAH persisted, causing protrusions and impacting her posture. Evangelista candidly shared, “I don’t look in the mirror. It doesn’t look like me.”
Resilience and Hope
Despite these hardships, Evangelista remained hopeful, expressing her desire to alleviate the shame and help others facing similar situations. She became determined not to hide any longer and continued to fight daily to regain what she had lost. In October 2023, she shared her journey as a two-time breast cancer survivor, expressing resilience and a deeper appreciation for life. Even today, Evangelist looks amazing despite everything she went through. AI-generated images portray a vision of her with a sculpted face, gray locks, and charming demeanour, suggesting that her timeless beauty and captivating presence would have endured.
