Linda Evangelista made a powerful return to modelling after a seven-year hiatus as she starred in a striking photoshoot.
The nineties supermodel, 58, looked incredible in a series of shots, taken by photographer Steven Klein, for V Magazine’s New Spring Issue.
It is a poignant moment for Linda, who spent years ‘hiding in shame’ after a botched fat-freezing procedure back in 2016 made her ‘permanently deformed’.
In many of the images, Linda cleverly covered her neck after the procedure left her ‘brutally disfigured’ after her fat cells became enlarged due to a rare reaction.
Linda was every inch the fashion chameleon as she slipped into a series of different looks from designers Ocean Savage, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada.
Linda Evangelista made a powerful return to modelling after a near seven-year hiatus as she starred in a striking photoshoot
The nineties supermodel, 58, looked incredible in a series of shots for V Magazine’s New Spring Issue and cleverly covered her neck after the botched surgery
For one look, the catwalk icon was coated in gold and wore an orange wig as she struck a series of poses in a gold embossed dress.
In other shots, Linda wore a black lace catsuit and dramatic red cape and also rocked a leopard print dress with huge padded coat.
Linda also channelled her inner dominatrix for one photo, which saw her grab a shirtless man’s face as she posed in a vinyl jacket.
The supermodel has been making her return to the fashion scene in recent months after saying she was done with living like a recluse.
In September 2021, Linda revealed in a shocking Instagram post that the reason she had decided to retreat from the public eye was because she had developed a rare reaction to a cosmetic procedure.
The cryolipolysis procedure, performed by the company CoolSculpting, was designed to decrease fat cells, but instead, it made her cells become enlarged.
She said she soon began developing ‘bulges’ all over her body, which left her ‘unrecognizable.’
‘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,’ she wrote at the time.
‘It increased, not decreased, my fat cells and left me permanently deformed after undergoing two painful, unsuccessful corrective surgeries. I have been left, as the media described, “unrecognizable”.’
It is a poignant moment for Linda, who spent years ‘hiding in shame’ after a botched fat-freezing procedure back in 2016, made her ‘permanently deformed’ (pictured last year)
Linda was every inch the fashion chameleon as she slipped into a series of different looks by clothing retailer Ocean Savage
Linda proved she wasn’t afraid to experiment with fashion as she channelled this interesting look
Linda rocked a leopard print dress with huge padded coat from Vetements as she showed off her modelling prowess
Last September, Linda revealed in a shocking Instagram post that the reason she had decided to retreat from the public eye was because she had developed a reaction to a procedure
Speaking to People magazine, the former runway star detailed how she thought she was going crazy and ‘stopped eating’ when the growths started to appear on her chin, thighs, and bust area – and how she now ‘dreads running into someone she knows’ after spending decades as a catwalk sensation.
However, at the time, she said she was ‘done hiding.’ She told the outlet, ‘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.’
During the procedure, a device that’s set below freezing temperature is applied to fat deposits, which causes cell death in the tissue.
But Evangelista soon developed a condition called paradoxical adipose hyperplasia – a rare adverse effect of cryolipolysis, which has been reported in of 0.0051 per cent of the 1.5 million CoolSculpting procedures performed worldwide.
In 2022, the supermodel settled the $50 million lawsuit against Zeltiq Aesthetics – although the settlement amount was not disclosed.
Linda also channelled her inner dominatrix for one photo, which saw her grab a shirtless man’s face as she posed in a vinyl jacket from Prada
The supermodel has been making her return to the fashion scene in recent months after saying she was done with living like a recluse
Linda donned a shiny wig and showed off her long legs as she posed with a male model
Former supermodel Linda seen on the catwalk in 1989
See the photoshoot in V Magazine – out now
During her seven years out of the spotlight, Linda also battled breast cancer twice.
Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 and had a double mastectomy.
Doctors then discovered cancer in her pectoral muscle in 2022.
She required more surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy – and was told she would need to take medication for five years.
Of her battle, she said on The View: ‘I’m okay with scars. I think scars are trophies, I’m good with scars.’
‘I think everybody’s experience is going to be different. Well, it started out with my routine mammogram. I know we don’t like doing our mammograms and I’m the biggest procrastinator, but that’s one thing I was really faithful to.’
She explained how she was called back so that doctors could take a second look, adding: ‘It was an early DCIS [Ductal carcinoma in situ]. I have another disease that involves my lungs and a lumpectomy that wasn’t so great and so it ended up being a double mastectomy.’
Linda stressed it was ‘the right decision for me’ stating that it simply wasn’t an option for her to ‘die of breast cancer’, as she opened up about her second experience with the disease.
‘There’s a little, little chance it comes back and my oncologist said, “you know your body so well”, because I went back with a little… I’ll call it a bump, not a lump, and it’s up here in my pec muscle,’ she explained.
‘Everybody’s story is going to be nuanced and mine ended up being, “we’ll just get it out and give you some radiation”, but I had a really bad Oncotype score. It’s a score that tells you your probability of getting the cancer again, and they take into account many, many things including genetics.’
‘Mine was bad, so I had to have the chemo,’ she said.
V146 starring Linda Evangelista is now available for pre-order on shop.vmagazine.com and will hit global newsstands beginning January 12.