Supermodel Linda Evangelista made a triumphant return to modeling Sunday, months after revealing she had been “permanently deformed” following botched plastic surgery.
The star filed a $50 million lawsuit in 2021 after a popular “fat freezing” procedure called CoolSculpting left her with visible lumps and bumps on her body, according to Evangelista’s interview with People. Seemingly back in the public eye after remaining secluded for over five years, Evangelista is the face of the new Fendi campaign.
Evangelista spoke out about her new project on Instagram.
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“On September 9 2022 @Fendi will host a special fashion show in New York City to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the #FendiBaguette, designed by @silviaventurinifendi, and two years since @mrkimjones joined the Maison as Artistic Director of Couture and Womenswear. #Fendi,” Evangelista wrote in the caption of her Instagram post.
Evangelista wore multiple hats and sunglasses in the campaign image. She expressed thanks in her caption by listing a number of artistic directors and stylists for all their hard work to make her look her very best.
This is the first modeling job that Evangelista has embarked on since suffering from the side effects of her botched cosmetic procedure, according to her interview with People. She allegedly was unable to work after undergoing seven CoolSculpting procedures with a dermatologist between Aug. 2015 and Feb. 2016. (RELATED: ‘I Looked Like A F***ing Cyclops’: Sharon Osbourne Opens Up About Botched Plastic Surgery)
Linda Evangelista stuns in first modeling job since plastic surgery left her ‘brutally disfigured’ https://t.co/j8Q9busEeI
— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) July 19, 2022
The procedure caused a rare side effect called Paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), which affects less than 1% of CoolSculpting patients, explained Dr. Alan Matarasso, a plastic surgeon out of New York City, according to People. Dr. Matarasso did not personally treat Evangelista, the outlet noted.
Evangelista described the lumps during the interview: “The bulges are protrusions. And they’re hard. If I walk without a girdle in a dress, I will have chafing to the point of almost bleeding. Because it’s not like soft fat rubbing, it’s like hard fat rubbing,” she told People.
“I don’t look in the mirror,” she added during the interview. “It doesn’t look like me.”
The model sued CoolSculpting’s parent company, Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., for $50 million, according to People.