Linda Evangelista, 58, cleverly covers her neck as she returns to modelling in striking shoot after botched surgery left her ‘brutally disfigured’ and ‘hiding in shame’ for years

Linda Evangelista made a powerful return to modeling after a seven-year hiatus when she starred in a high-profile photo shoot.

The 1990s supermodel, 58, looked incredible in a series of photos taken by photographer Steven Klein The new spring issue of V Magazine.

It's a poignant moment for Linda, who spent years 'hiding in shame' after a botched fat freezing procedure in 2016 left her 'permanently disfigured'.

In many of the images, Linda cleverly covered her neck after the procedure left her 'brutally disfigured' after her fat cells enlarged due to a rare reaction.

A fashion chameleon through and through, Linda was introduced to a range of different looks from designers Ocean Savage, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada.

The 1990s supermodel, 58, looked stunning in a series of photos for V Magazine's New Spring Issue, cleverly covering her neck after the botched surgery

For one look, the runway icon was covered in gold and wore an orange wig as she struck a series of poses in a gold-embossed dress.

In other shots, Linda wore a black lace catsuit and a dramatic red cape, and also wore a leopard print dress and a huge padded coat.

Linda also channeled her inner dominatrix for one photo, in which she grabbed a shirtless man's face while posing in a vinyl jacket.

The supermodel has returned to the fashion world in recent months after saying she was done living her life as a recluse.

In September 2021, Linda revealed in a shocking Instagram post that the reason she had decided to withdraw from the public eye was because she had developed a rare reaction to a cosmetic procedure.

The cryolipolysis procedure, performed by the company CoolSculpting, was intended to shrink the fat cells, but instead her cells were enlarged.

She said she soon started developing “bulges” all over her body, making her “unrecognizable.”

“For my followers who have wondered why I haven't been working while my colleagues' careers have flourished, the reason is that I was brutally disfigured by Zeltiq's CoolSculpting procedure, which did the opposite of what it promised,” wrote them at the time.

'It increased my fat cells instead of reducing them and left me permanently disfigured after having two painful, botched corrective surgeries. I have been left, as the media describes, 'unrecognizable'.'

It's a poignant moment for Linda, who spent years 'hiding in shame' after a botched fat freezing procedure in 2016 left her 'permanently disfigured' (pictured last year)

Linda was a fashion chameleon through and through when she was introduced to a range of different looks from clothing store Ocean Savage

Linda proved she wasn't afraid to experiment with fashion as she channeled this interesting look

Linda wore a leopard print dress and a huge Vetements quilted coat as she showed off her modeling skills

Last September, Linda revealed in a shocking Instagram post that the reason she had decided to withdraw from the public eye was because she had developed a reaction to a procedure

Speak with People magazine, the former catwalk star told how she thought she was going crazy and 'stopped eating' when the growths started appearing on her chin, thighs and bust – and how she is now 'scared of meeting anyone she knows' after dozens having spent years as a catwalk sensation.

But at the time, she said she was “done hiding.” She told the outlet, “I can't live like this anymore, in hiding and shame. I just couldn't live with this pain anymore. I am ready to finally speak.”

During the procedure, a device set below freezing is applied to fat deposits, causing cell death in the tissue.

But Evangelista soon developed a condition called paradoxical fatty hyperplasia – a rare side effect of cryolipolysis, which has been reported in 0.0051 percent of the 1.5 million CoolSculpting procedures performed worldwide.

In 2022, the supermodel settled the $50 million lawsuit against Zeltiq Aesthetics – although the settlement amount was not disclosed.

Linda also channeled her inner dominatrix for one photo, in which she grabbed a shirtless man's face while posing in a Prada vinyl jacket

The supermodel has returned to the fashion world in recent months after saying she was done living her life

Linda donned a shiny wig and showed off her long legs as she posed with a male model

Former supermodel Linda seen on the catwalk in 1989

View the photoshoot in V Magazine – available now

During her seven years out of the spotlight, Linda also battled breast cancer twice.

Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 and underwent a double mastectomy.

Doctors subsequently discovered cancer in her pectoral muscle in 2022.

She required further surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, and was told she would have to take medication for five years.

About her struggle, she said on The View, “I'm okay with scars. I think scars are trophies, I'm good with scars.'

“I think everyone's experience will be different. Well, it started with my routine mammogram. I know we don't like to do our mammograms and that I'm the biggest procrastinator, but that's something I've been very true to.”

She explained how she was called back so the doctors could take another look, adding: 'It was an early DCIS [Ductal carcinoma in situ]. I have another disease involving my lungs and a lumpectomy that wasn't that great so it ended up being a double mastectomy.”

Linda insisted it was 'the right decision for me' and said it simply wasn't an option for her to 'die from breast cancer' as she opened up about her second experience with the disease.

'There's a slim, slim chance of it coming back and my oncologist said, 'You know your body so well,' because I went back with a little… I call it a lump, not a lump, and it's up here in my pectoral muscle ,” she explained.

'Everyone's story will be nuanced and mine was ultimately, 'We'll just take it out and give you some radiation,' but I had a really bad Oncotype score. It's a score that tells you how likely you are to get the cancer again, and they take a lot of things into account, including genetics.”

“Mine was bad, so I had to have chemotherapy,” she said.

V146 starring Linda Evangelista is now available for pre-order at shop.vmagazine.com and will hit newsstands worldwide on January 12.