Katie Piper has shared a heartbreaking photo of her devastating acid attack injuries to raise awareness for World Mental Health Day.
The former Strictly Come Dancing star was left fighting for her life after her obsessive ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch, 43, hired west Londoner Stefan Sylvestre to attack her with the corrosive liquid in March 2008.
The horrific assault left Piper blind in one eye and suffering severe burns.
This morning, to raise awareness for mental health and to encourage people to open up about their struggles, the 35-year-old mum-of-two shared the previously unseen picture on Instagram.
In an inspirational message alongside the image, she wrote: “I remember when I didn’t want to look at anyone. Remember when I didn’t want anyone to look at me.
“I remember when I was scared of people, scared of men.
“I remember when I was scared of the world.
“I remember when opening up to people and talking about my trauma and psychological damage just wasn’t possible.
“Today on Mental Health Day my first meeting of the day is with my therapist. I still go, it still helps and I’m able to talk.”
She ended the poignant post with some final words of encouragement: “Hold On Pain Ends #mentalhealthawareness#mentalhealthday.”
The message was met with a stream of well-wishes, receiving more than 55,000 likes in two hours.
Towie star Maria Fowler commented: “Oh babe. So sad to see you like that. You’re an inspiration to so many people. So much respect.”
Celebrity makeup artist Anna Lingis added: “You truly are so strong and so inspiring.”
Model and trans activist Kenny Ethan Jones wrote: “You are an incredible human being.”
