In the 1990s, Linda Evangelista held a prestigious status as one of the leading supermodels.
In 2021, the former model, then 56 years old, disclosed the permanent disfigurement caused by a cosmetic procedure.
Below are AI-generated images illustrating how Evangelista might have appeared today had she not undergone the procedure that dramatically altered her life.
Linda Evangelista, born on May 10, 1965, in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, is a Canadian fashion model celebrated for her influential role with the cosmetics company Revlon and the Versace fashion house.
Recognized as a top supermodel from the 1990s, Evangelista received the industry’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997, presented jointly by Vogue and VH1. Her illustrious career, spanning over 700 magazine covers, positioned her as one of the most accomplished models of all time.
In the late 1990s, coinciding with the decline of the supermodel era, Evangelista earned a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2003 and was featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition “The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion” in 2009. She continued to model for leading global brands until the mid-2010s but then abruptly ceased working.
We went one step ahead to visualize what the 58-year-old icon might look like today if she had never undergone any procedures.
Evangelista’s life took a sharp turn from tranquility to profound silence following a series of CoolSculpting sessions in 2015–16. The noninvasive procedure, intended to freeze away fat cells, resulted in significant disfigurement after seven sessions targeting her jawline, back, abdomen, and thighs.
A pamphlet at her dermatologist’s office introduced her to CoolSculpting. Unfortunately, Linda experienced a rare side effect known as paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), causing the growth of hard fatty tissue in treated areas, leading to permanent swellings and masses.
In an attempt to break her silence, the night before the news surfaced in a magazine story, Linda sent an email to her fashion circle, including Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell, revealing the ordeal she had endured in solitude.
Linda 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, Linda 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 and to stick around for the journey of a long life.
In an emotional Instagram post in September 2021, Evangelista, then 56, courageously disclosed the emotional toll she endured after undergoing the routine fat-reduction procedure CoolSculpting, which she claimed “brutally disfigured” her appearance.
Describing it as a popular method, Evangelista revealed that the procedure had left her “permanently deformed,” emotionally devastated, and ultimately compelled to withdraw from public life. In her post, she addressed her followers, explaining the reason behind her absence from the industry while her peers continued to thrive.
Evangelista asserted that CoolSculpting, instead of delivering its promised fat reduction, had the opposite effect, increasing fat cells and resulting in permanent disfigurement, even after two painful and unsuccessful corrective surgeries.
She expressed feeling “unrecognizable,” as described by the media. Evangelista further revealed the development of paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), a recognized side effect of the fat-freezing procedure.
The Instagram post unveiled Evangelista’s decision to pursue legal action, indicating her intention to go public with her story as a means of “moving forward to rid myself of my shame.”
Tired of living in seclusion and yearning for a return to normalcy, she concluded her post by stating, “I would like to walk out my door with my head held high, despite not looking like myself any longer.”
Following her CoolSculpting treatments, Evangelista experienced distressing changes within three months, noticing bulges, numbness, and hardening in her targeted areas. Desperate to rectify it, she resorted to extreme dieting and exercise.
However, these efforts proved futile, leading her to consult a doctor in June 2016. The diagnosis of Paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH) shattered her, as the doctor emphasized that no amount of diet or exercise could resolve it.
Linda alleged that CoolSculpting offered to rectify the damage with liposuction but on the condition of signing a confidentiality agreement. Refusing this, she underwent two full-body liposuction surgeries in June 2016 and July 2017 at her own expense.
Despite these efforts, the PAH persisted, causing protrusions and impacting her posture. Linda candidly shared the challenges, explaining, “If I walk without a girdle in a dress, I will have chafing to the point of almost bleeding.” The psychological toll was immense, with Linda admitting, “I don’t look in the mirror. It doesn’t look like me.”
