Linda Evangelista Speaks Out After Settling Fat-Freezing Case

Linda Evangelista just announced she has settled her CoolSculpting lawsuit.

The model previously alleged that she was “brutally disfigured” after undergoing a procedure five years before to freeze off stubborn fat. Linda also claimed she developed a very rare side effect called paradoxical adipose hyperplasia or PAH, which Science Daily describes as “a hardened area of localized fat developing after cryolipolysis (fat freezing).”

Now, she says the case is closed.

The 57-year-old took to Instagram to tell fans, “I’m pleased to have 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 continued, “I am truly grateful for the support I have received from those who have reached out.”

In September, Linda filed a lawsuit against CoolSculpting’s parent company Zeltiq Aesthetics for $50 million in damages. Zeltiq declined to comment to People at the time, but CoolSculpting told the magazine in a statement that the procedure "has been well studied with more than 100 scientific publications and more than 11 million treatments performed worldwide." The brand claims that rare side effects like PAH "continue to be well-documented in the CoolSculpting information for patients and health care providers."

The news of the closed case comes days after Evangelista appeared in a new Fendi campaign, and a source tells People, "With this settled and the recent Fendi ad campaign, Linda is ready to try to move on. After literally years of hiding, she's out and about.”

The insider added, "She feels all the goodwill from her industry, other supermodels and her fans, and it makes her feel loved."

Over the weekend, Linda shared a photo from the Fendi shoot, writing, “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 added that she was “so grateful to” everyone involved.

Linda is pretty in pink for the image, wearing three pink hats, as well as pink sunglasses and gloves. She appears to be wearing a gray sweater or shawl as she holds up two silver Fendi bags.

Back in September 2021, Linda first revealed the fat freezing procedure-gone-wrong, claiming it left her “permanently deformed.”

Linda wrote on Instagram, "It increased, not decreased, my fat cells and left me permanently deformed even after undergoing two painful, unsuccessful, corrective surgeries. I have been left, as the media has described, ‘unrecognizable.’"

Evangelista shared her heartbreak over developing PAH, saying, "PAH has not only destroyed my livelihood, it has sent me into a cycle of deep depression, profound sadness, and the lowest depths of self-loathing. In the process, I have become a recluse.”

And in February 2022 she decided to step out from the shadows and grace the cover of People magazine as she shared her story — and the first photos of her body since the procedure.

She said, "I loved being up on the catwalk. Now I dread running into someone I know. 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."