Linda Evangelista has spoken out after being left 'permanently deformed' by a cosmetic procedure.

In September last year, the 56 year old supermodel blasted the popular fat-reduction procedure called CoolSculpting, alleging that it did the "opposite" of what it had promised and claimed that it left her with physical and mental side effects.

And in her first photoshoot since detailing her intent to take the company to court, Linda opened up about how she "once loved being on the catwalk but now dreads running into someone [she] knows".

The Canadian broke down in tears as she added to People: "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."

Linda claimed that three months after her treatments, which she underwent from August 2015 to February 2016, she noticed bulges at her chin, thighs and bra area.

While she had treated those areas to reduce her fat cells, she saw a rare adverse effect called Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia that saw her fat cells increase.

"I tried to fix it myself, thinking I was doing something wrong. I got to where I wasn't eating at all. I thought I was losing my mind," Linda said.

In June 2016, she said she went to her doctor and was "bawling" and asked him what she was doing wrong as she hadn't eaten was "starving".

Following her diagnosis with Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia, she said: "I was like, 'What the hell is that?' And he told me no amount of dieting, and no amount of exercise was ever going to fix it."

A representative for CoolSculpting told PEOPLE that the procedure "has been well studied with more than 100 scientific publications and more than 11 million treatments performed worldwide" and any known rare side effects like PAH "continue to be well-documented in the CoolSculpting information for patients and health care providers."

Last autumn, Linda detailed her intent to take the company to court after claiming that she was left "brutally disfigured" by a cosmetic procedure.

Linda hit the big time in the nineties and was known as one of the "original supermodels" alongside Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington.

However, while her fellow peers continue to work in the entertainment business to this very day, Linda was largely absent from the spotlight and made the brave decision to reveal why on Instagram.

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