LINDA EVANGELISTA - Out of hiding!

THE SUPERMODEL HAS BRAVELY OPENED UP ABOUT HER COSMETIC SURGERY HELL AND SAYS SHE’S DONE WITH FEELING SHAME

- Jennie Noonan

WALKING AWAY

When the original ’90s supermodels reunited to pay tribute to slain designer Gianni Versace on the 20th anniversary of his death, Evangelista was noticeably absent. Now she’s revealed she felt forced to because of her disfigurement.

Almost five years ago, supermodels Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Carla Bruni Sarkozy, Helena Christensen and Cindy Crawford made headlines at Milan Fashion Week when they reunited on the runway at Versace’s Spring/Summer 2018 show. Noticeably absent was ’90s It girl Linda Evangelista. “There was a reason she retired from the spotlight,” fellow model Paulina Porizvoka posted in support of her contemporary and friend. “For a woman known for her brilliance as a physical chameleon and embodiment of elegance, it was a harsh one.”

In September, Evangelista, 56, shed light on those reasons in an emotional Instagram post. She claimed she’d been “brutally disfigured” by CoolSculpting – a “fatfreezing” procedure – that “did the opposite of what it promised”. She alleged that fat cells in her abdomen, flanks, back, inner thighs and chin “increased, not decreased” due to paradoxical adipose hyperplasia or PAH, a known side effect that affects less than one per cent of patients. Moreover, she claims she wasn’t aware of the risk.