HERE’S THE SCOOP:
- Reclusive former supermodel Linda Evangelista said a cosmetic procedure left her “permanently disfigured.”
- She claimed a CoolSculpting procedure “increased, not decreased” her fat cells, even after two corrective surgeries.
- Evangelista said she’s sharing her story to put her shame behind her.
Reclusive former supermodel Linda Evangelista revealed why she stepped out of the public eye in recent years. A cosmetic surgery company allegedly left her “brutally disfigured” and deeply depressed.
“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 in a statement.
Evangelista also writes that the procedure allegedly “increased, not decreased” her fat cells, causing her to be “permanently deformed even after two painful, unsuccessful, corrective surgeries.”
The supermodel says the procedure left her, “as the media has described, ‘unrecognizable.'”
Evangelista said the botched procedure led to her developing paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), which creates an enlarged and firm mass under the skin. She claimed she was unaware of the possible “risk” before the procedure.
“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,” she shared, adding, “In the process, I have become a recluse.”
She concluded her statement by announcing that she was suing the company to take back control.
The lawsuit says Evangelista suffered “severe and permanent personal injuries and disfigurement,” causing her “pain and suffering, severe emotional distress and mental anguish.”
“I am moving forward to rid myself of my shame, and going public with my story,” she 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.”
Source: People
