'Seeing other people loved-up was hard'

Presenter, writer and model Katie Piper opens up to new about marriage, beauty ideals and finding confidence

- MITYA UNDERWOOD

As we catch up with Katie Piper to chat all things life and love, she's doing what she does best – juggling. As well as being a bestselling author, she's wrapping up her feelgood ITV summer series, Katie Piper's Weekend Escape, and helping her two daughters as they return to school. She's also about to celebrate her 10 year wedding anniversary with her carpenter and builder husband, Richard Sutton, next month.

In an exclusive chat with new, the Loose Women host, 41, shares more about what drives her, introduces a special new member of the family, and makes some candid admissions about marriage...

Hi Katie. How have you been?

Busy! I've been doing the weekend show which I've loved, and I brought out my Still Beautiful book in June and was so thrilled with the response. It's a bit autobiographical, a letter to my younger self, with some self-help. It's about ageing, and why so many of us have felt "not good enough".

Do you worry about the messages we're sending women?

It's like the famous monologue in the Barbie movie: "You have to be thin, but not too thin... and you can never say you want to be thin, you have to say you want to be healthy. But also you have to be thin." So it isn't all about the "wrong" message, it's about fewer messages! We should encourage women to find what they're passionate about and stop trying to conform to become a perfect doll.

What made you write the book?