Linda Evangelista explains why she no longer dates: ‘I don’t want to hear somebody breathing’

Linda Evangelista has spoken frankly about her lack of desire to pursue a romantic relationship.

The former supermodel has been a fixture in popular culture since the 1990s, when she and her fellow fashion colleagues Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Tatjana Patitz set look trends across the world.

Evangelista, 58, has also had some high-profile relationships, including a tumultuous marriage to French former model Gérard Marie, an engagement with Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan and a relationship with billionaire businessman François-Henri Pinault, with whom she shares a 17-year-old son, Augie.

However, the Canadian star is currently single, and has expressed no plans to change her relationship status.

When asked about dating in a new Sunday Times interview, Evangelista replied: “Not interested. I don’t want to sleep with anybody any more. I don’t want to hear somebody breathing.”

She then clarified that the last time she’d been in the dating game was before complications in the wake of a CoolSculpting procedure that led to her hiding her appearance from the public for at least two years.

From 2015 to 2016, Evangelista underwent seven CoolSculpting sessions that were intended as a non-surgical way to freeze away fat from her jawline and body.

However, she was left with fat that had thickened and bulged into hard bumps underneath her skin.

Evangelista went public with her negative experience with the cosmetic procedure in 2021 and sued the company for $50 million for loss of income and emotional distress.

The suit was settled in 2022 for an undisclosed amount.

Elsewhere in the interview, published on Sunday (26 November), Evangelista shared her improvement in her feelings towards her body and appearance after the procedure’s complications.

“Well, I don’t blame myself any more. I’m not hard on myself any longer. And how people feel about me still bothers me a little bit, but it used to bother me a lot,” she explained.

“I know now that I didn’t do anything wrong.

“For the longest time I thought I did. I’m not completely rid of it, but I work hard at getting rid of the guilt and the shame. And I’m not letting it ruin my life. I wouldn’t have stayed locked up if I’d known how many people cared.”