A British model and television host left horribly disfigured after an acid attack has made a triumphant return to the public eye to promote her charity foundation.
Katie Piper, 26, was raped, beaten and stabbed in the arms by her jealous ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch in March 2008.
Two days later, the martial arts enthusiast hired Stefan Sylvestre to throw a cup of sulphuric acid into his former girlfriend's face — leaving her with horrific burns that stripped away four layers of skin, damaged the inside of her throat and blinded her in one eye.
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But following 40 sessions of ground-breaking surgery, Ms Piper was all smiles as she appeared alongside American Idol judge Simon Cowell to promote the Katie Piper Foundation yesterday.
"Beauty used to mean to me being the person with the best figure, the prettiest person walking into a room — that's what I thought beauty was," the Daily Mail quoted Ms Piper as saying.
"But I have realised that is was nothing — it was a false and superficial view.
"I hope by sharing experiences the Katie Piper Foundation can help other disfigured people to build in confidence, to stand tall and feel beautiful too."
Cowell, who will act as a patron for the organisation, described the former model as "one of the most inspiring people I have met".
"She is brave, talented and determined and I think what she is doing with the Katie Piper Foundation is incredible," he was quoted as saying.
The charity is aimed at raising awareness of the plight of victims of burns and other disfigurement injuries. It also hopes to make the revolutionary treatment Ms Piper underwent widely accessible in England.
Both Lynch and his accomplice Sylvestre were jailed for life last May.
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