Katie Piper stepped out at a book launch for Women’s Aid after being viciously trolled online about her appearance.
The TV presenter, model and writer joined Swinton author Lolo Stubbs on the relaunch of her book Dressed up as Love and the release of Dressed up in Armor in support of Women’s Aid, a charity working to promote end to domestic violence against women and children.
Acid attack survivor Katie, who looked stylish in a sleek black outfit at the Hard Rock Hotel in London, recently received vile comments about her appearance from people on Twitter after she did a television interview.
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The 37-year-old TV personality, who was a Strictly Come Dancing contestant in 2018, has openly discussed several procedures to repair her face following the horrific attack of 2008.
The acid severely burned her face and blinded her left eye, and Katie was in a medically induced coma for 12 days.
Brave Katie, who just published her ninth book A Little Bit of Faith, wrote a candid statement retaliating against trolls after the abuse that followed her appearance on Sky News.
One troll wrote: “Oh my God. @KatiePiper (Katie Piper who her?) With lips full of botox and a designer face drawn by surgeons, on the ad platform called @SkyNews promoting a post about people who need to be honest with themselves.
“I couldn’t make up for it, could I.”
She replied, “My face was reconstructed by surgeons using other parts of my body after my face was melted down to muscle and skeleton from an acid attack.
“But anyway, I don’t owe you anything, maybe using your time more productively than commenting on how women look on the internet.”
And the Loose Women panelist took to social media to write a letter “to those who think it’s okay to act like this online.”
She wrote: “After my attack, I wore a plastic face mask for my burns and a wig, because my hair was burnt in the front.
“When I started to go out (which took a long time because I didn’t want to leave the house due to people’s reactions), the men were yelling at me insults like this and other name-calling.
“When someone writes something so horrible and offensive about someone who is burnt or disfigured like me in the public eye, it makes those with visible differences at home not wanting to leave home, like I never did.
“Seeing someone like me get trolled will only make them regress further. If this happens to me, why shouldn’t it happen to him?
“You should always learn someone’s story and you should never judge someone without knowing what they’ve been through. You shouldn’t judge them anyway, no matter what they look like.
“If someone is doing what makes them happy and isn’t hurting you or anyone else, then why do you have the right to comment on their appearance.”
And she wrote, “I didn’t talk about it because it affected me personally today. It’s been a long journey full of amazing ups and downs, but I’m on the other side now. am strong and i live a stable and happy life.
“I’m talking about this for people who don’t have a support system, a group of friends, a loving family, or just someone who is helping them get back into society and live normal lives. It could really affect someone in the most severe way.
“I spend my days through my charity The Katie Piper Foundation seeing how much mental and psychological support it takes after a burn or disfigurement.
“My volunteers, specialists, nurses and doctors spend years with our patients helping them to re-prepare themselves physically and mentally for the ‘real world’.
“The sad reality is that this is the real world we live in. It was National Suicide Prevention Day last week – haven’t we learned about the damage words can do? “
She added, “While many feel this pain, I see this negative attention being focused primarily on women. I obviously didn’t have any work on my face for the sake of vanity, but even if it did, this is not a problem.
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“Why are women always disappointed with their appearance? “
“My Sky News interview this morning promoting my new book was about the power of affirmations, talking about my faith and the power of positive thinking. YET people took to Twitter to ask ‘what happened to his face?
“The sad reality is that I’m not surprised because it’s so common for me now after a live TV appearance.”
She ended by saying, “My only hope is that with increased speaking out and education, these people will look inside themselves and understand why they need to bring others down so fiercely in order to. validate. ‘
Mum-of-four Lolo, an Ambassador of Expect Respect for Aid to Women, donates 20% of proceeds from her books to the charity. She released Dressed up as Love, about an emotionally abusive relationship, in 2019.
