Linda Evangelista has returned to modelling after spending years away from the spotlight following a cosmetic procedure which left her "brutally disfigured ".
The 57-year-old supermodel went into hiding after she suffered a rare reaction to a fat freezing procedure six years ago, which she said left her "permanently deformed".
Linda has now appeared on the cover of British Vogue and said she still hasn't recovered from the ordeal as she poses with her face held by tape and elastic.
"Am I cured mentally? Absolutely not. But I’m so grateful for the support I got from my friends and from my industry…
"You’re not going to see me in a swimsuit, that’s for sure. It’s going to be difficult to find jobs with things protruding from me; without retouching, or squeezing into things, or taping things or compressing or tricking," she told the publication.
Appearing on the front cover of the magazine, Linda wore an all-red outfit and had a natural makeup look. She wore a bucket hat on top of a headscarf and opted for a shiny coat.
She was keen to point out that make-up artist Pat McGrath had gently drew her face, jaw and neck back with tape and elastics.
Linda said it was okay for her face to have been altered in the pictures because they were "here to create fantasies".
“That’s not my jaw and neck in real life – and I can’t walk around with tape and elastics everywhere," she admitted.
“You know what, I’m trying to love myself as I am, but for the photos. Look, for photos I always think we’re here to create fantasies. We’re creating dreams. I think it’s allowed.
“Also, all my insecurities are taken care of in these pictures, so I got to do what I love to do.”
In September last year, Linda took to her Instagram to announce that she had filed a lawsuit in New York against Zeltiq Aesthetics for grievous injuries.
Speaking about the procedure, she told the magazine: “If I had known side effects may include losing your livelihood and you’ll end up so depressed that you hate yourself… I wouldn’t have taken that risk.”
The case has since been settled, with the model saying she was looking forward to the next chapter of her life.
In a social media post, Linda said: "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.
"I am truly grateful for the support I have received from those who have reached out."
In September, Linda filed a lawsuit, suing CoolSculpting parent company, Zeltiq Aesthetic Inc, for $50million in damages.
She claimed she had been unable to work since undergoing seven sessions from August 2015 to February 2016.
The mum-of-one claims that the fat freezing procedure, known as cryotherapy, increased her fat cells, leading her to develop "bulges" all over her body.
Speaking about the procedure on social media, she said: "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, 'unrecognisable'."
See the full feature in the September issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 23 August.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct 0207 29 33033.
