Who Is Linda Evangelista? Everything to Know About Her Personal Life

Inside supermodel Linda Evangelista's tragic personal life: She has been married and divorced once and is a mother to one!  

Linda Evangelista was once at the top of the supermodel hierarchy. She kicked off her illustrious career in the 80s and attained her unparalleled status by the 90s. Evangelista's career has taken major unprecedented turns and a relatively recent step of courage by the model has made her more adored than ever.  

Born on May 10, 1965, in St. Catharines, Canada, to her Italian emigrant parents, Linda began her training in modeling early at the age of twelve. Evangelista was in her early 20s when broke out into the fashion scene with her chameleon-like effect on runaways and editorials. The legendary designer, Karl Lagerfeld, famously called her the "Stradivarius of models."  

Linda Evangelista Suffered a Botched Plastic Procedure! 

At the height of her career, Linda Evangelista was invincible. Having walked every major runway and been featured on over 700 magazine covers, Linda had it all. After achieving the crazy pinnacle in her career, the Canadian model suffered a low that many were oblivious to for years.   

Linda bid her stellar career a goodbye in 1998- only to make a notable return in the fashion trenches two years later in 2001. The chameleon of the modeling industry went completely MIA from the fashion scene and the spotlight in 2016. Evangelista continued her reclusive lifestyle for the next six years and reason was only unveiled in 2021.  

The former supermodel shared that she was living in hiding because of "shame." According to Evangelista's shocking revelation on Instagram, the model suffered a botched cosmetic procedure that left her "permanently disfigured." She blamed Zeltiq's CoolSculpting for scarring her for life and ruining her career.   

The Canadian model revealed that she had to undergo two painful corrective surgeries but was still left unrecognizable. Evangelista suffered numerous side effects from the botched procedure which included paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PHA), a rare adverse effect that results in the swelling of tissue masses.  

"PAH has not only destroyed my livelihood, it has sent me into a cycle of deep depression, profound sadness," the supermodel lamented in the post. She added, "In the process, I have become a recluse." Following the bombshell revelation, Linda sued Zeltiq Aesthetic for $50 million and settled the case last year.    

Evangelista went into hiding after a cosmetic procedure left her "disfigured for life" 

"I'm pleased to have settled the CoolSculpting case," wrote the former supermodel, 58, who has since made her runway comeback. These days, Linda's schedule is jam-packed from the multiple campaigns she has boarded since her resurgence, a feat that she compares to being born again.  

She also stars in Apple TV's docu-series, The Super Models. In addition, Linda is also on a mission to increase breast cancer awareness after enduring a frightening brush with the disease. "It's not like I’m getting a second chance; I'm getting a redo. I'm seeing it all differently now," says the model, who has now become a beacon of candor and hope in the corrupted fashion world.  

Is Linda Evangelista Married?  

Evangelista is a single mother to one currently but there was a time when she was a muse for many iconic fashion moguls, including Lagerfeld, Versace, and photographer Steven Meisel. But in contrast to her successful career, Evangelista has had pretty unfortunate luck in her personal life.   

The Canadian model was only 22 and at the very onset of her fast-rising career when she married the Elite Model Management agency's boss, Gerald Marie. The two tied the knot in 1987 and finalized their divorce in 1993. The details of the pair's brief marriage were kept under wraps at the time but Linda recently recalled the only time she was married.  

In Apple TV's Super Models, which also stars Linda's contemporaries, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington, Linda describes her marriage with Gerald as "abusive." "It's easier said than done to leave an abusive relationship, I understand that concept because I lived it," says the model.   

Evangelista's ex-husband was accused of rape and sexual incidents in September 2020. "When I found out that he's hurt many women, he's violated many women, it broke my heart," an emotional Linda said in the docu-series. Following her divorce from Marie, the Canadian model dated Twin Peaks actor Kyle MacLachlan, from 1992 to 1998.  

Linda and MacLachlan's relationship peaked when the duo got engaged and candidly spoke about wanting to get hitched, and starting their family. But to many's dismay, Linda eventually pulled the plug when MacLachlan stalled the engagement. Evangelista's romantic history also includes French soccer player Fabien Barthez, with whom Linda suffered a miscarriage.   

"the miscarriage really created an emotional distance between her and Barthez. They couldn't surmount what happened," an insider said when the duo called it quits in 2000. Linda's brief and low-profile romance with businessman François-Henri Pinault resulted in the birth of her only son, Augustin James, whom she welcomed in 2006.  

The Canadian supermodel initially kept her son's paternity a secret before eventually delving into a messy child support battle with Pinault, who went on to marry actress Salma Hayek, who has blended incredibly in the whole dynamic.  

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