Moving on. Linda Evangelista announced that she’s settled the lawsuit she filed against CoolSculpting after alleging the procedure left her “disfigured.”
“I’m pleased to have settled the CoolSculpting case,” the supermodel, 56, shared in a statement via Instagram on Tuesday, July 19.
“I look forward to the next chapter of my life with friends and family,” Evangelista continued, adding that she’s “happy to put this matter behind me.”
The beauty icon concluded her statement, expressing: “I am truly grateful for the support I have received from those who have reached out.” She did not reveal any further details regarding the settlement.
Evangelista’s announcement comes after she first shared her CoolSculpting story in September 2021. In a shocking post shared on Instagram, the Canada native revealed she had been steering clear of the spotlight due to the cosmetic incident.
“Today I took a big step towards righting a wrong that I have suffered and have kept to myself for over five 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,” she wrote.
Evangelista, who rose to fame alongside Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford, explained that while the procedure was designed to “decrease” her fat cells, it instead “increased” them, leaving her “permanently deformed even after undergoing two painful, unsuccessful, corrective surgeries.”
“I have been left, as the media has described, ‘unrecognizable,’” she continued. What’s more, she has developed a rare side effect called Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia, or PAH, she said.
“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,” Evangelista wrote in her Instagram post. “In the process, I have become a recluse.”
Evangelista then shared she had filed a lawsuit.
“I am moving forward to rid myself of my shame and going public with my story. 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,” she added.
Evangelista was pretty much everywhere circa the ‘90s, starring in fashion campaigns and making guest appearances in music videos. She’s walked on the runways for some of fashion’s biggest names, including Chanel, Valentino, Dior and more.
She returned to modeling for the first time this past weekend, posing in a new ad campaign for Fendi. On July 16, Evangelista shared a gorgeous photo of herself holding multiple baguette bags from the Italian fashion house in honor of the label celebrating the accessory’s 25 anniversary.
“I am so grateful,” she wrote alongside the image, which she shared via Instagram.
