Linda Evangelista has shared the first pictures of her body after allegations that she had been left brutally disfigured by cosmetic procedure.
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The 56-year-old appeared for a new photoshoot with People magazine, wearing several loose cardigans as she shared her story and admitted she now "dreads running into someone I know".
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"I can't live like this anymore, in hiding and shame. I just couldn't live in this pain any longer. I'm willing to finally speak," she added.
In September 2021 the former supermodel - who once famously said, "I don't get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day," - shared with fans that she had "developed Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia or PAH" after CoolSculpting treatments.
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She revealed that it had "not only destroyed my livelihood, it has sent me into a cycle of deep depression, profound sadness, and the lowest depths of self-loathing" and that she had "become a recluse".
Now Linda has opened up in more detail, sharing that after the first procedure - which freezes fat and promises up to 20% reduction - she noticed bulges at her chin and thighs which then turned numb and hard. She began starving herself, hoping to fix what she thought was weight gain, and when she visited her doctor he told her that "no amount of dieting, and no amount of exercise was ever going to fix it".
Linda last shared a picture of herself in 2019
She underwent two full-body liposuction surgeries in June 2016 and July 2017 and wore compression garments, girdles and a chin strap for eight weeks, but the bulges returned.
"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 shared, adding that her posture has also now changed because she is unable to "put my arms flat along my side".
"Why do we feel the need to do these things [to our bodies]?" she concluded. "I don't recognize myself physically, but I don't recognize me as a person any longer either."
The 56-year-old has alleged 'brutal disfigurement'
Helena Christensen and Naomi Campbell were among the many supermodels who shared their love and support for Linda in the days after she first shared her heartbreaking health news.
"It would've taken immense courage and strength to write these words. I can honestly say that I broke down in tears reading this," Helena wrote alongside Linda's original post.
"Not only because I knew in my heart you somehow had been quietly going through something deeply personal and disturbing but also because I thought of all the scars life leaves on us all, whether physical or emotional and how long we suffer mostly in silence and alone.
Linda, Christy Turlington and Naomi in the 1990s
"It is so important and beautiful when someone steps out of the shadows and [is] brutally honest and real. Thank you for being beautiful inside and out."
Cindy Crawford added: "Linda - your strength and true essence are forever recognizable and iconic! Bravo!"
Naomi also commented, writing: "I applaud you for your Courage and strength to Share your experience and not be held hostage by it anymore. You know I love you. We love you and [are[ here for you always Right by your side."
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