Supermodel Linda Evangelista says fat-reduction left her ‘deformed’
- The fashion icon says she had a ‘CoolSculpting’ procedure 5 years ago that had the rare side effect of causing her fat cells to increase rather than decrease
- Evangelista, who is suing the company, said the botched job has turned her into a depressed recluse ridden with self-loathing, her livelihood destroyed
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Former supermodel Linda Evangelista says she has been permanently disfigured by a fat-reduction cosmetic procedure that backfired and caused her to look bloated and unrecognisable.
Evangelista, 56, said she underwent “CoolSculpting” five years ago and that it had the rare side effect of causing her fat cells to increase rather than decrease.
Evangelista, a 1990s modelling icon from Canada who starred on catwalks with colleagues like Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell, said in an Instagram post on Wednesday that she was never warned of the procedure’s risks and is now filing a lawsuit.
She said her current appearance – the result of a condition called paradoxical adipose hyperplasia – explained her absence from the public spotlight in recent years.
“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,” Evangelista wrote.
“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, ‘unrecognisable’,” she added.
The cosmetic sculpting procedure is supposed to freeze and kill the cells in fat deposits so that the body can eliminate them.
Evangelista said the botched job has turned her into a depressed recluse ridden with self-loathing, her livelihood destroyed.
“I am moving forward to rid myself of my shame, and going public with my story,” Evangelista wrote. “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.”
Paparazzi photos published in recent years – illustrating those “unrecognisable” stories the model mentioned – have shown Evangelista with a dramatically different jawline. Her agency, DNA Models Management, said on Thursday that it does not comment on behalf of its clients concerning pending litigations.
CoolSculpting is a non-invasive procedure from Allergan Aesthetics, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to reduce visible bulges under the chin and jaw and on the thighs, abdomen, flanks and back.
A representative for AbbVie, which acquired Allergan in 2020, did not respond Thursday to the Los Angeles Times’ request for comment on Evangelista’s statement.
Supportive comments from famous friends were abundant on Instagram.
Fellow 90s modelling icon Crawford wrote in the comments, “Linda – your strength and true essence are forever recognisable and iconic! Bravo!”
Campbell also chimed in, writing, “I applaud you for your Courage and strength to Share your experience and not be held hostage by it any more … You know I love you.”
Additional reporting by DPA
