In 2021, Linda Evangelista disappeared from public life. It had nothing to do with her 'disfigurement'.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Linda Evangelista was one of the most recognisable people on earth. She, along with Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington, formed a supermodel triad so famous they were dubbed 'The Trinity'.

The Canadian was a muse for fashion luminaries including Gianni Versace, Karl Lagerfeld and photographer Steven Meisel, and a bankable cover star for titles like Vogue. A model so influential that when she chopped off her hair, the phrase "Give me The Linda" echoed through salons all over the world.

But for the past few years, Evangelista has been in hiding, a self-described "recluse", after allegedly being "brutally disfigured" by a common cosmetic procedure. 

Now, she has opened up about an even more serious health issue, revealing she's beaten breast cancer not once, but twice since 2018.

"It was detected in my annual mammogram," she told The Wall Street Journal Magazine this week.

"The margins were not good, and due to other health factors, without hesitation, because I wanted to put everything behind me and not to have to deal with this, I opted for a bilateral mastectomy. Thinking I was good and set for life. Breast cancer was not going to kill me."

Watch: Breast cancer survivors walk NYFW catwalk. Post continues below.

However, in July 2022, the unthinkable happened - Linda found a lump on her breast and received the bad news that the cancer had returned.

She recalled telling her oncologist to "dig a hole in my chest" to beat the cancer for good, saying, "I don't want it to look pretty. I want you to excavate. I want to see a hole in my chest when you're done. Do you understand me? I'm not dying from this."

The 58-year-old said her approach to treatment was to just get through it and push no matter what.

While Linda's prognosis is "good" right now, she's not in the clear yet, with her post-cancer care oncologist warning her there's a chance that recurring cancer can return again. But the mother-of-one admitted that recognising her mortality has given her a newfound sense of gratitude for life.

"I know I have one foot in the grave, but I'm totally in celebration mode," she said. "I've come through some horrible health issues... I'm so happy to be alive. Anything that comes now is bonus."

Linda Evangelista's rise in the modelling industry.

Linda Evangelista was discovered at a beauty pageant she didn't win. 

It was Miss Teen Niagara, 1981, and the 16-year-old from St. Catherine's, Ontario, caught the eye of a scout from Elite Model Management. Though she accepted the scout's card, Evangelista's strict Catholic parents made her wait two years before calling. 

It was a dream realised for the teenager.

Fashion-obsessed from a young age, she was known to accessorise her school uniform with headbands and cowboy boots, and would beg her mother for new outfits.

"I decided when I was twelve that [modelling was] what I wanted to do, and I count my blessings that I got to realise my dreams," she said in 2006. "Being a rock star was out of the question. I can’t sing."

After being signed to Elite, Evangelista's career took off. Within just a few years, she booked campaigns in New York and Paris and appeared in the pages of Vogue. From that point on, she was a supermodel.

'The Trinity' of supermodels: Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. Image: Getty. In 1988, hairstylist Julien d'Ys cropped her hair short - a move she feared would put a stopper in her career. But within two months, she achieved the Vogue 'grand slam', by being featured on the cover of the American, French, Italian and British editions. 

"[That haircut] quadrupled my rate. I did get sick of seeing it on everybody, though - every stewardess, every sales clerk, and in every restaurant," she later told Vogue.

Just two years later, Evangelista tested her own popularity, when she uttered a sentence that has been likened to a 20th Century version of Marie Antoinette's quip, "Let them eat cake." 

“We have this expression, Christy [Turlington] and I," Evangelista said. "We don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day."

It's a line etched in fashion folklore and one that the model fears will also be etched onto her tombstone.

"I apologised for it; I acknowledged it. I said it was true. I said it was a joke. Do I regret it? I used to regret it. Not anymore," she told Vogue in 2001. "Would I hope that I would never say something like that ever again? Yes. Am I capable of saying something like that again? I hope not."

Evangelista was married to Elite Model Management owner Gérald Marie in those early years of her career. But after their separation in 1992, she was in a relationship with Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan (now perhaps better known for playing Trey in Sex And the City). The pair were engaged but split in 1998 after six years together.

That year Evangelista retired, but her hiatus was short-lived. She made a triumphant 21st Century return in 2001, balancing modelling with activism and philanthropy (she has campaigned for AIDS/HIV research, LGBTQI causes and breast cancer research and awareness).

She added motherhood into the mix in 2006 with the birth of her son, Augustin James Evangelista. The identity of the boy's father was later revealed to be French businessman François-Henri Pinault, who is now married to actor Salma Hayek.

Then suddenly Evangelista stepped away from the industry.

Linda Evangelista on her cosmetic procedure mishap.

In late 2021, Evangelista revealed she stepped away from the spotlight after suffering complications due to a botched cosmetic procedure.

In a statement posted to Instagram, Evangelista said she had filed a lawsuit against Zeltiq, a company that licenses machines used for a procedure called 'CoolSculpting'.

CoolSculpting, or cryolipolysis, aims to freeze superficial fat cells, which then die and are metabolised by the body. While the technique is hailed as non-invasive and low-risk, it has been associated with a rare side-effect called paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH) in which the tissue thickens and expands.

The manufacturer of CoolSculpting machines puts the risk of PAH at 0.025 per cent, or one in every 4,000 cycles. However, a recent study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal indicated the number may be higher. The evaluation of results from eight Canadian medical centres revealed PAH incidence rates between 0.05 per cent and 0.39 per cent, with the majority of cases associated with the use of older models of the machine.

In her lawsuit, Evangelista alleged she experienced PAH after undergoing multiple CoolSculpting procedures between 2015 and 2016 to reduce fat on her thighs, abdomen, back, flanks and chin. 

She claimed she was not informed of the risks and that corrective surgery was unable to fix the issue. 

"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," Evangelista wrote.

"In the process, I have become a recluse. With this lawsuit, I am moving forward to rid myself of my shame, and going public with my story. 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."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Linda Evangelista (@lindaevangelista)

Her statement was met with comments of encouragement from several former colleagues, including Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell.

"I applaud you for your courage and strength to share your experience and not be held hostage by it anymore," Campbell commented on Evangelista's Instagram statement. 

"You know I love you. We love you, and [are] here for you always. Right by your side. I can't imagine the pain you [have] gone through mentally these past 5 years. Proud of you and support you every step of the way."

Recently, Evangelista revealed that the CoolSculpting lawsuit is finally behind her.

She shared the news to her followers on Instagram, writing: "I'm so pleased to have settled the CoolSculpting case. I look forward to the next chapter of my life with my friends and family, and am happy to put this matter behind me. I am truly grateful for the support I received from those who have reached out."

Her big modelling comeback.

The model officially stepped back into the spotlight in mid 2022, starring on the cover of British Vogue for her "rebirth" after a challenging few years. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by British Vogue (@britishvogue)

Recently, Evangelista starred in her first photoshoot in years - a Fendi campaign, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the iconic baguette bag.

In another Instagram post, the model shared a pre-shoot selfie, writing: "It takes a village. #grateful".

Fellow models and fashion designers were quick to comment on the image, with Helen Christensen writing: "The face that launched a thousand magazine covers."

Fashion designer Marc Jacobs commented: "So happy to see you back in the village!", and Moschino creative director Jeremy Scott wrote: "It also takes a legend (that's you!)."

This article was originally published on September 24, 2021, and has since been updated with new information.

Feature Image: Apple TV/Vogue/Mamamia.