Put yourself first - so you can help others afterwards

Our good health is a privilege, says Katie Piper. And as she knows only too well, it can change at the drop of a hat whether by chance - or evil design.

- 

In 2008, an acid attack orchestrated by an ex-boyfriend left the then 24-year-old model with life-changing injuries and permanent scarring.

It has meant years of operations and pioneering surgery to repair damage to her face, skin and eyesight, which she is still undergoing.

"I'm never discharged," admits Katie, now 41. "I have to go back for my eyes, nose, and throat." Yet her stoicism in the face of adversity has brought her peace and success as a presenter, author and charity fundraiser expert.

"I learnt at such a young age the value of looking after your mind, your body, how our health is a privilege and how it can suddenly change," she says.

TRAUMA

The Loose Women presenter recently revealed her decision to get an artificial eye, a prosthetic shell, to fit her left eye, damaged in the attack.

"I've always had problems with my eyes, especially the left," she continues. "That was so damaged on the surface."

She's been in the care of a cornea consultant for 16 years, but had "a huge trauma last summer with the retina detaching. I was left with a condition called phthisis bulbi, where the eye cannot be reconnected to the retina. Mine had disconnected and was shrunken. It really marks the end of the road for treatment.

"I knew in the back of my mind it would happen to me one day. I would class myself as a realist and someone who is very practical."

That practicality and incredible inner strength led to her becoming an advocate for burns and scar survivors, raising awareness, and setting up her charity, the Katie Piper Foundation. And for Katie personally, physical and mental health are paramount.