Staying in the shadows no more! Linda Evangelista, 56, has finally stepped out after revealing she received a botched cosmetic surgery. The actress rocked a fresh face and new confidence as she visited Manhattan’s Chelsea Market in new photos after proclaiming herself a “recluse.” The procedure, known as CoolSculpting, left the supermodel ‘brutally disfigured,’ according to an interview with People Magazine where Linda opened up about her ordeal.
CoolSculpting, also known as ‘fat freezing,’ aims to reduce visible fat bulges under the skin. But in Linda’s experience, the therapy left her with new protrusions of fat hanging from her body that left her “permanently deformed” even after multiple corrective surgeries. In a heartwrenching Instagram post, Linda shared how the altering procedure led her into a “cycle of deep depression, profound sadness, and the lowest depths of self-loathing.”
Finally, after Linda decided she was done living in “pain and shame,” she decided to share her story, as well as pursue legal recourse against Zeltic Aesthetics, Inc., the company that provides CoolSculpting. The lawsuit, which Linda filed in September, seeks $5 million in damages from the company on the basis of allegations that Linda has been unable to work since she underwent seven sessions of ‘fat freezing’ between August 2015 to February 2016.
Heartbreakingly, Linda even revealed that CoolSculpting harmed her relationship with her son Augie, 15. She recalled how her son noticed she had less fun and laughed less with him after experiencing side effects, which she said she hid from him at first to avoid being a “burden.” “He shouldn’t have to be supporting me,” Linda said. “That’s not his job.”
However, though Linda has a long road back to confidence, she remains inspired by the lesson she’s always taught Augie, no matter how hard it may be to internalize herself: that beauty is far more than skin deep. “It is very important for me to raise him knowing that he is beautiful and knowing that everyone is beautiful,” she shared. “It’s so messed up that I truly believe that except it doesn’t pertain to me.”