Supermodel Linda Evangelista has officially settled her CoolSculpting lawsuit after she claimed the cosmetic procedure left her “brutally disfigured.” And she’s starting her new chapter by reentering the modeling world with a brand-new campaign for Italian fashion house Fendi.
In September of last year, the runway legend shared her story on Instagram, revealing why she had remained out of the spotlight for the past 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.”
While CoolSculpting promises to freeze fat cells in a painless, non-invasive manner, Evangelista suffered a rare side effect known as Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH) causing her fat cells to accumulate and fatty deposits to multiply rather than shrink.
She decided to sue Zeltiq Aesthetics, the parent company of CoolSculpting, and sought $50 million in damages. “The truth of my horrific ordeal will be told through the legal system and I offer my sympathy to anyone suffering, as I do, from PAH’s painful, hardened masses which protrude from the skin wherever CoolSculpting was performed,” she wrote.
About a year after announcing the lawsuit, Evangelista has officially settled the CoolSculpting case. “I look forward to the next chapter of my life with friends and family, and am happy to put this matter behind me,” she shared on Instagram on Tuesday. “I am truly grateful for the support I have received from those who have reached out.”
Evangelista’s fashion family flocked to her Instagram post to congratulate her. Fellow supermodels like Carla Bruni commented, “Bravo Linda !!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️,” while Kristen McMenamy posted, “We are so happy that you have. HURRAY!!!! The most welcomed comeback of the century!!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.”
Designer Marc Jacobs commented, “🙌🏼♥️,” while Anna Sui shared her support with a string of heart emojis writing, ” ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Love you Linda!!! xxx Anna.”
The supermodel is starting her “new chapter” by getting back into the spotlight with a new campaign for Fendi. Evangelista made her triumphant return to modeling (her first campaign since the procedure that went awry) posing with Fendi’s iconic Baguette bag, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with a special fashion show in New York City this fall.
She shared a BTS shot getting her hair and makeup done for the shoot writing, “It takes a village. #grateful.”
