Linda Evangelista's tragic revelation: 'I have one foot in the grave'

Linda Evangelista was one of the supermodels who changed the history of fashion in the 1990s. Her runway shows, magazine covers, and advertising campaigns were seen around the world.

Time passed and, in the 21st century, several of the model's public appearances in the media have been a tremendous personal drama.

A year ago, Linda Evangelista revealed that she had been permanently deformed by a cosmetic treatment gone wrong in 2015. She had kept it a secret all those years.

Three years after the failed operation, in 2018, life would surprise the supermodel again. After her annual check-up, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Linda Evangelista herself spoke about her health status in an interview with The Wall Street Journal: “It was detected after an annual mammogram. The results were not good and, due to other health factors, I opted for a bilateral mastectomy.”

Photo: @lindaevangelista / Instagram

If Linda Evangelista had one purpose, it was to make sure that cancer would not kill her. She took all the steps available to reach that goal.

Four years later, in 2022, Linda Evangelista again discovered a tumor in one of her breasts. The cancer had returned.

Linda Evangelista, one of the most reserved supermodels of her time, once again opened up to the world with terrible news. She let them know she had faced two cancer diagnoses in five years.

"Dig a hole in my chest," she had told the oncologist after getting the second diagnosis. "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."

More than a year after the second intervention, the supermodel is optimistic about the results. Still, she is aware of the high percentage of cancers returning for a third time.

"I know I have one foot in the grave, but I'm totally in celebration mode. I'm so happy to be alive. Anything that comes now is bonus", says the model, born in 1965, in her interview with The Wall Street Journal.

In 2022, Linda Evangelista graced the cover of Vogue, a dream job she managed to repeat, in 2023, alongside other top models from the 1980s and 1990s.

Photo: @lindaevangelista / Instagram

That issue of Vogue in 2022 was released after the cosmetic treatment that had deformed the model's body, neck, and face. Although the problems were corrected with several surgeries, they left scars.

Linda Evangelista told Vogue: "I couldn't live in that pain any longer. I knew I had to make a change, and the only change was to tell my truth."

Photo: @lindaevangelista / Instagram

Linda Evangelista says she really wants to live longer, though she doesn't necessarily want to look old: "I want wrinkles — but I Botox my forehead so I am a hypocrite — but I want to grow old."

Photo: @lindaevangelista / Instagram

But far beyond some touch-ups, the supermodel went from "not being able to look in the mirror," as she acknowledged, to returning to magazine covers and catwalks. And that's always good news for those who make fashion history.

Image: Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista during Vogue World: London on September 14, 2023.