Linda Evangelista left traumatized and in therapy after botched cosmetic procedure permanently damaged body
Model Linda Evangelista sued Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc. for $50 million after CoolSculpting allegedly left her body 'brutally disfigured'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Linda Evangelista's botched CoolSculpting experience left the model in therapy.
Evangelista chose to undergo the non-invasive body contouring procedure, which is supposed to get rid of stubborn fat, back in 2015. However, her decision to try out the fat-freezing procedure would change her life forever.
The model experienced a permanent negative side effect from CoolSculpting that left her body "brutally disfigured." Evangelista's procedure left hardened fat in different areas — including her abdomen, thighs and under each armpit.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I have to go through therapy to like what I see when I look in the mirror, and I still don’t look in the mirror," she told Harper's Bazaar. "I didn’t want to see myself because I didn’t love myself or like myself."
LINDA EVANGELISTA HASN'T DATED SINCE COOLSCULPTING INCIDENT: ‘NOT INTERESTED’
Linda Evangelista's botched CoolSculpting experience landed the model in therapy. (Getty Images)
Evangelista isn't the first to undergo cosmetic procedures to change her body or slow down aging. The model is also willing to admit she'd do it again if there were "no repercussions."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I used to ask myself all the time, ‘Would you drink the magic potion knowing it comes with these repercussions?’ Obviously, no, because you saw the repercussions," she told the outlet.
"But if there were no repercussions, of course you’d drink the magic potion if you could afford it, and it’s there for you, and other people have used it successfully."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Linda Evangelista opened up about her life now in an interview with Harper's Bazaar. (Anthony Seklaoui, Harper's Bazaar)
Through therapy, Evangelista has worked to overcome negative thoughts about her body and find peace with the way she looks now.
"I’m doing the work, and I’m trying to get to the place where I like myself, flaws and all, and trying to love myself," she said.
After "doing the work," Evangelista admitted she's now more comfortable with the idea of aging.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I don’t care how I age," she explained. "I just want to age. It doesn’t have to be gracefully. I really, really, really don’t want to die. I have still so much to do. I’m finally getting comfortable with myself and with everything, and now I want to enjoy it."
Linda Evangelista is spotted in New York City on April 2, 1990. (Ron Galella)
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The model revealed in a 2021 Instagram post that a CoolSculpting procedure left her "brutally disfigured" after hiding her body from the world for five years. Evangelista admitted at the time that if she had known what she knows now about the "risk" of the CoolSculpting treatment, she would not have done it.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In September 2021, Evangelista filed a lawsuit and sued CoolSculpting’s parent company, Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., for $50 million in damages. CoolSculpting, an FDA-cleared "fat freezing" procedure, has become popular for being a noninvasive alternative to liposuction. However, Evangelista alleged that she had been unable to work since undergoing seven sessions in a dermatologist’s office from August 2015 to February 2016.
Linda Evangelista sued Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc. for $50 million in damages before settling out of court. (Getty Images)
Evangelista later revealed that she had been diagnosed with Paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), a rare side effect that affects less than 1% of CoolSculpting patients, in which the freezing process causes the affected fatty tissue to thicken and expand.
She has since settled the lawsuit.
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Fox News Digital's Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.