Katie Piper fought back tears in a new video after revealing she received vile abuse from female trolls over her appearance at the National Television Awards.
The Loose Women panellist, 42, suffered facial burns and was left blind in one eye after her ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch attacked her with acid in 2008, along with his accomplice Stefan Sylvestre. She has undergone multiple reconstructive procedures in the years since.
On Tuesday, Piper wore a slinky black dress as she joined her fellow Loose Women stars at the National Television Awards, where the ITV daytime programme was up for the Best Daytime prize.
In the video, she said that despite feeling "really nice" on the night, she faced dozens of horrible messages about her looks after giving a red carpet interview to Women & Home magazine.
'I know I'm not the prettiest'
Sitting in her car, Piper said she had been left dejected by the messages, despite such a positive start to her day. "I know I'm not the prettiest," she said.
She said: "The comments were going mad and I thought 'oh why?' and it's just endless, like 'Urgh, look at her, what happened to her face? Oh she's overdone it on the filler. Oh my God, why are we talking about the hair, the hair's not the problem! That face!' blah blah blah."
"And you're just like, I am a normal person, I am a real person. I'm just out here trying to do my best, trying to live my life, be a wife, be a mum, be a daughter..."
Piper went on: "I know I'm not beautiful, I know I don't look like you, I know I'm not the prettiest person on your Instagram and usually I don't care. This is my life, this is the life that God intended for me and I'm living it to the fullest. But just occasionally, you just feel like, not giving up that's the wrong word, but just stopping it all and not putting yourself out there anymore. It just makes you think, why are you doing this to strangers on the internet?"
Piper hits back at the trolls
Piper admitted she made the "mistake" of replying to some of the comments, pointing out that "they're all women!" She questioned why the trolls were "policing women's appearance," saying they were damaging not only her but "every single woman that sees these comments."
"You're saying to people that it's an issue if you don't meet beauty standards and you are playing a part in creating a nightmare for all other women," she said. "This is your digital footprint, this is your legacy, this is what you are part of."
She added: "Would you stand by this if all of those comments got sent to your colleagues and got sent to your family? Just be careful what world you're creating for all of us to live in. That's all I've got to say."
Captioning her post, Piper wrote: "I know who I am, and who am I am not, but, do you know who you are?"
Support from fans and famous friends
Piper's post was met with thousands of comments from fans and showbiz friends who threw their support behind her. Natalie Pinkham wrote: "It's staggering when women hurt women; as if the world's not tough enough. Thank you for this message today. I'm sorry you had to post it; but I am also glad you did. I stand with you, and admire you greatly."
Strictly Come Dancing professional Dianne Buswell commented: "You are a super woman and yes you are beautiful," while Rachel Stevens wrote: "you're such an inspiration xxx." Linda Lusardi added: "Take no notice of them. These people have nothing better to do. You're the most courageous beautiful woman I've ever met."
Dannii Minogue said: "Katie - you, your words, your kindness and your digital footprint, you can be proud of. By all means take time for you, but do not let them take your light." Fellow Loose Women star Myleene Klass, who was with Piper on the night, wrote: "I was over the moon to be with you. Your company, your energy, your funny one liners...and you also happened to look incredibly BEAUTIFUL. They don't matter. They're trying to. They just don't x."
Laura Adlington wrote: "Keep going Katie. You are such a force for good and just know this app is a much better place because you're on it. Sending all the love and hugs xxx." Boy George added: "You are beautiful and brave and inspiring."
One fan wrote: "This is SO AWFUL I'm so sorry and you ARE beautiful inside and out. These people have the problem, they get off on it, and they are jealous of you. The world is a tough place to live in right now, they are suffering and taking it out on you. You are a bright shining star and you mean so much to so many."
Katie Piper's recovery since the attack
Piper was lucky to survive the 2008 acid attack, but faced an agonising road to recovery as she rebuilt her face and her life. Her injuries have required more than 400 operations since the assault.
Since being thrust into the spotlight, Piper has used her career to promote body positivity and support burns survivors and disfigurement victims through her charitable foundation.
