‘Disfigured’ model Linda Evangelista spotted out in NYC

Linda Evangelista has been snapped hitting the streets of NYC after keeping a low profile following claims a procedure left her “unrecognisable”.

Supermodel Linda Evangelista has been spotted in a rare outing a year after she claimed a botched plastic surgery procedure left her face “brutally disfigured”.

The 57-year-old star has kept a low profile for the past six years after she developed Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia, which is a hardening of localised fat.

Linda claimed it was due to a CoolSculpting fat-reducing procedure, a risk she claims she wasn’t made aware of before she had the surgery in 2016.

She filed a lawsuit against CoolSculpting’s parent company, Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc, in September 2021 for $50 million in damages.

Supermodel Linda Evangelista has been spotted in a rare outing on the streets of New York City on Wednesday. Picture: Splash News/Media Mode

Linda was seen wearing black trackies, a button down jean jacket and had her hair sleeked back in a bun. Picture: Splash News/Media Mode

And while she has avoided stepping out in public since then, the mother-of-one was seen hitting the streets of New York City in a rare occasion on Wednesday.

Linda was seen wearing black trackies, a button down jean jacket and had her hair slicked back in a bun.

She went makeup free for the outing and completed the look with a pair of wide-rimmed glasses, Birkenstock sandals and a black bag.

Linda, who went makeup free, completed the look with a pair of wide-rimmed glasses, Birkenstock sandals and a black bag. Picture: Splash News/Media Mode

Some photos showed the Canadian-born model smiling and looking cheerful as she hailed down an Uber before getting into the car.

She was then photographed in a different outfit, wearing a long, flowing, grey dress, as she clutched onto bouquet of flowers.

Her public outing comes after she told Instagram followers she was tired of “hiding” after making the startling claim about the botched cosmetic procedure.

She was all smiles while hailing down an Uber. Picture: Splash News/Media Mode

The Canadian-born model has been laying low since she claimed a fat-reducing procedure left her ‘brutally disfigured’. Picture: Splash News/Media Mode

“I’m so tired of living this way. I would like to walk out my door with my head held high, despite not looking like myself any longer,” she wrote at the time.

The procedure Linda underwent, called CoolSculpting, was designed to decrease fat cells, but instead, she claims it made her cells become enlarged.

Linda at the MET Costume Institute Gala in New York City, in May 2005. Picture: Evan Agostini/Getty Images

Linda at the 2005 CFDA Awards at the New York. Picture: Evan Agostini/Getty Images

She said she soon began developing “bulges” all over her body, which made her worry that she was losing her mind.

“It increased, not decreased, my fat cells and left me permanently deformed even after undergoing two painful, unsuccessful, corrective surgeries,” Linda said in September.

Linda at the David Jones Spring Summer Collections Launch in 2004. Picture: Patrick Riviere/Getty Images

“PAH (paradoxical adipose hyperplasia) 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.”

In February, Linda posed for the cover of People magazine and showed off her body for the first time.

“I’m not done telling my story, and I will continue sharing my experience to rid myself of shame, learn to love myself again, and hopefully help others in the process,” she said in an Instagram post alongside a photo of the magazine cover.

She told People she loved being up on the catwalk.

“Now I dread running into someone I know,” she said, explaining why she’s finally speaking out.

“I can’t live like this anymore, in hiding and shame. I just couldn’t live in this pain any longer.”

A spokesperson for CoolSculpting told People that the treatment “has been well studied with more than 100 scientific publications and more than 11 million treatments performed worldwide” and that potential side effects, including PAH “continue to be well documented in the CoolSculpting information for patients and health care providers”.

Originally published as ‘Disfigured’ model Linda Evangelista spotted out in NYC