EXCLUSIVE: Linda Evangelista, 58, broke down in TEARS as she admitted she thought she ‘DESERVED’ to be left ‘disfigured’ by botched cosmetic surgery in new Apple TV+ docuseries The Super Models

Fashion icon Linda Evangelista tearfully claimed she “deserved” to remain disfigured due to a botched cosmetic procedure, as she opened up about the experience for her new documentary, The Super Models.

In the Apple TV+ docuseries, the runway queen chronicles her illustrious career alongside fellow supermodels – Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington – as the legendary stars reflect on how they came to dominate the fashion industry.

However, the four-episode project also addresses many of the issues the ladies face, including Linda’s battle with depression after suffering a rare reaction to the procedure known as CoolSculpting, which was designed to reduce her fat cells, but instead made them be enlarged.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, the project’s directors, Roger Ross Williams and Larissa Bill, revealed how the mother-of-one, 58, could see ‘her emotions being processed in real time, on camera’ as she reflected on her ordeal.

Talking about filming Linda’s moving confessional, Roger said: ‘It was such an emotional interview… She said she deserved it and I said, “No, you don’t deserve this.” But it was what she felt. She was just so honest about it.”

Individual interviews were conducted with each model, giving them the chance to reflect on their lives and the iconic careers they enjoyed, and Linda’s candid confessional became so emotional it left the entire crew in sobs.

Roger, who won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film in 2009, explained: ‘Larissa and I were in tears, and so was everyone in the crew. It was like an emotional interview from start to finish, we were crying the whole time. I’m surprised we even have anything.

‘She let go of so much that she had never talked about. You see her guilt and processing in real time on camera, and that was an incredible interview.”

The docuseries highlights how Linda was the only one of the four models who had always dreamed of becoming a model, and Williams claimed the fashion icon “fell victim” to the belief that she needed to maintain her celebrated beauty.

He continued, “She always wanted to be a model. She fell victim to the belief that she had to hold on to that beauty and she said, “Am I paying the price for that?” And she was very honest about that.’

“She’s been very open about (her experience with CoolSculpting) and that’s nice. In the film, you’re almost watching Linda’s process and coming to terms with it in real time as it happens. In episode four, she has to deal with a lot of tough things.”

Linda spent six years ‘in hiding’ after her rare reaction, previously telling Vogue she was ‘so depressed’ she ‘hated’ herself after being left ‘permanently disfigured’ and ‘brutally disfigured’.

The procedure, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, involves applying a device set below freezing to fat deposits, causing cell death in the tissue.

Weeks after receiving the treatment, Linda developed something called paradoxical fatty hyperplasia – a rare side effect, which has been reported in 0.0051 percent of the 1.5 million CoolSculpting procedures performed worldwide.

With this condition, the treated area becomes larger instead of smaller. It can leave a “painless, visibly enlarged, firm, well-demarcated mass” under the skin.

Linda said on Instagram that after the surgery she developed “bulges” all over her body, making her “unrecognizable.”

The catwalk sensation has since undergone two liposuction surgeries in an attempt to correct the problem.

In the summer of 2022, Linda returned to the fashion industry, where she once again starred in catwalk shows, fashion campaigns and magazine covers.

Explaining how they managed to get the models to open up like never before, Larissa said: “Roger and I met all of them before filming, just on our own, without cameras. I think it helped to create such a safe zone… I think we built a really nice bond there during those interviews.”

The docuseries had been in the works for some time before Roger and Larissa were approached to direct in 2021, with the pair jumping at the chance to help the Supers tell their story.

Roger admitted, “I grew up with these women. I think it’s so exciting to be able to help them really tell their stories, because that’s not the case with us. We had not heard from them directly. We only heard their stories filtered through the media, and they were given the opportunity to own their own stories and tell their own stories. And that’s the beauty of it.’

Reflecting on the opportunity to work with the models, who all also serve as executive producers, Larissa added, “What was so great in the end was actually the access. Having them on board in that capacity opened up the world of speaking to amazing designers, photographers, stylists and editors.

‘We also had access to their archives. I think we ended up finding 20,000 visual assets in total, and it’s a lot to go through. But what a treasure trove. It was like a deep dive into the best fashion and photography of the past thirty years.”

The documentary also gave the models a chance to share their side regarding the stigma of becoming ‘divas’ due to their massive success.

“They say that about a man like Elon Musk, the richest man in the world,” Roger said in defense of the models. ‘It’s crazy. As Naomi says in the film: if you stand up for yourself, you are labeled as ab***h, and you are labeled as difficult. If someone stands up for themselves, that’s fine. But as a black woman, no.”

After Linda was criticized for making the claim “We don’t wake up on less than $10,000 a day” to Vogue in 1990, Larissa also defended the star against the backlash over the statement.

She said, “This idea that they don’t make this kind of money, why? Because they are beautiful women? Because their work is perceived as easy? I learned so much about how demanding that job really is.

“They blew the lid off my idea of ​​what a model was, and what that job is. It’s a lot of work and it’s a real skill. Just like an actress.’

The Super Models can be streamed on Apple TV+ from September 20.