Loose Women star Katie Piper gave an update on her recent eye surgery after returning to the show. She was back on the ITV lunchtime show on Thursday (September 1) for the first time since undergoing emergency surgery.
Last month, the 38-year-old revealed to fans that a hospital dash resulted in her undergoing an emergency operation after her husband, Richard James Sutton, noticed a black spot in her eye which she said had become "extremely painful". Katie has now shared the painful details with her fellow Loose Women panellists and viewers as she made her return to the show.
She recalled the three weeks of eye pain she suffered before realising something was wrong as she admitted she is used to a degree of eye pain after her horrific acid attack in 2008, which left her face severely burned and blind in one eye. Referring to the spot her husband noticed in her eye, Katie said: "Then it got bigger and the pain just got intolerable. Very consuming, where I could feel it in my skull and you can’t tolerate light."
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The worrying dot turned out to be a hole in Katie's eye, which was, unfortunately, getting bigger and forced Katie to undergo an emergency procedure for a cornea transplant to cover the perforation. Katie told Jane Moore, Linda Robson and Carol McGiffin: "It’s something I always feared would happen to me one day, because I have a very thin surface on my blind eye, so it can be vulnerable to perforation."
As Carol asked if she had done anything which resulted in the hole, Katie couldn't help but cheekily joke: "I think it was just the stress of working with you." Laughing, she added: "I’m back and I’m happy to be here and I'm in one piece."
And there have been a couple of improvements for Katie since the surgery as she explained how the normal pain and discomfort she suffers has abated. She explained: "When you’re blind in one eye you can’t judge depth and distance, so it’s helped a little bit. I can’t see with that eye but my peripheral vision is better in crowded rooms. I can see a little more light and shade."
Host Jane was soon praising her co-star, telling her: "I do admire you because you’re an absolute trooper," as Carol chimed: "You are, nothing phases you." But Katie offered a humble response.
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"It’s been so long, I just made peace that this is my life now. I made peace years ago. I’m just really grateful to be here and be well." She also went on to explain how a cornea transplant works and shared how important eye donors and the need for them are. Katie added: "I think for a lot of people donating eyes is something very personal and for religious reasons, spiritual reasons, some people don’t want to do that, which is totally understandable. But they are very much needed for people like me."
Katie's surprise post about her surgery last month came shortly after she appeared on Loose Women on Tuesday. During the show, Katie told her ‘Life Before Loose’ story, recalling her happy childhood growing up in Hampshire, her teenage rebellious years and the moment that simultaneously changed her life and found her purpose at 24 years old.
Her life changed when a corrosive substance was thrown over her. Reflecting on that period, Katie said: "When I look back on it and reflect, it does feel like two separate lives. I’m 38, but I sort of feel in my 70s or 80s because what’s happened to me, condensed in such a short period doesn’t happen to some people in their whole lifetime," she admitted on the programme.
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