Katie Piper has been stuck indoors like the rest of us for the past few weeks. Far from painting the town red once this is all over, though, the model, TV personality and podcast presenter’s idea of post-pandemic bliss is surprisingly… domestic.
“We got loads of paint from this brand called Frenchic and it’s really cool and has all these colours and textures,” said Katie, holed up in her London home.
“We’ve been painting anything that’s wooden in the house. All our skirting boards and doors. We’re now painting the kitchen cupboards. We’ve even painted the floors.
“I’m genuinely enjoying being with my kids. Once this is over I think I’ll just get up, get dressed and go to work. Then I’ll come home and have a nice night in. My life is my family and my work, this is what I love.”
Being socially distant might have been a shock to wider society, yet some seem better equipped to handle it than others.
In 2008, Katie, 36, was left with devastating injuries following a horror acid attack organised by a man with whom she shared a brief relationship.
She endured third-degree burns on her face, neck, chest, and hands, and the loss of sight in one eye.
The resulting treatment involved more than 300 surgical procedures and meant extended periods of what was often a lonely recovery.
“I’m not being dismissive because obviously this lockdown is serious. People have lost their lives and others are frightened,” explained Katie.
“For me, though, this is not as big a thing as it feels to some people. Because I once felt isolated and ostracised, I felt unsure of my health and my medical future.
“This to me isn’t as bad as my experience last time. So, yeah, it is almost like a second time around for me, but this is a much more positive experience. I have children, a partner and a job.”
That partner is Richard Sutton, a carpenter, whom she met in 2013 after being set up by mutual friends. The pair are now married and have two girls, Belle and Penelope, and the family are, like millions around the country, in lockdown. And like a lot of families, they’re missing the type of things we all take for granted.
© Brett Cove/SOPA Images/Shutterstock“My husband has just shaved his own head with electric clippers,” laughed Katie. “Strangely he’s not asked his wife, with one blind eye, to help. I can’t think why!
“My hair is looking all right. I’m blonde so it’s a bit dry and strawy but that’s fine. I’ve been making TV appearances via Skype looking a bit dishevelled, I look a bit like Patsy off AbFab right now.
“I did try to wax my leg and managed to pull the top layer of skin off though. I think I left it on too long…”
Grooming mishaps aside, Katie paints a picture of domestic happiness, although she says the key to getting on is communication and kindness.
And these are the qualities she has brought to her hit podcast, Katie Piper’s Extraordinary People.
Originally a passion project, the podcast is now in its third series and has grown to the point where it now, she says, earns her a living. In it, Katie interviews those with inspiring stories, from ordinary people affected by extraordinary circumstances, to more high-profile names discussing their own personal battles.
Guests have included London 2012 Olympic gold medal winner Jessica Ennis-Hill, TV presenter Gail Porter, former Strictly dancer Kevin Clifton, broadcaster Fearne Cotton and The Great British Bake Off’s 2015 champion Nadiya Hussain, to name just a few.
The stories are inspiring, says Katie, but they are not schmaltzy feel-good tales.
“I set up my charity (The Katie Piper Foundation) and it was quite overwhelming in the early days. There’s only so many people you can help,” she said. “The podcast is a great platform that I could direct people to. But it isn’t about people’s fluffy stories or their soppy, happy endings.
“I’ve talked so openly about my own trauma and recovery, so people I think have put a lot of trust in me. It’s a bit like being a hairdresser, people unload their issues with you, tell you all their secrets.
“Sometimes it’s about a person who shows you what resilience is, and how they’re making the best of it, whatever that is. I think that’s quite appropriate at the moment and to what we’re all going through right now.
“It’s going to pass but there perhaps isn’t an easy answer or advice someone can give to make it all OK.”
Nor were there easy answers on Katie’s long road to where she is today.
Surgeons were forced to completely removed the skin on her face, replacing it with a skin substitute, Matriderm, to build the foundations for a skin graft.
The pain from the procedures was so intense, Katie was put into an induced coma for 12 days, and she subsequently wore a plastic face mask for 23 hours a day.
The NHS flew her to a clinic in France where she received treatment designed to break down scar tissue, and prevent the skin contraction found in scarring.
Eighteen months after the attacks, Katie took part in a Channel 4 documentary about her experience, the critically acclaimed Katie: My Beautiful Face, which followed her recovery. Since then she was gone on to front Katie: The Science Of Seeing Again, where she underwent stem cell treatment to help repair the sight in her eye. She also fronted Channel 4’s Bodyshockers and competed in Strictly Come Dancing two years ago.
© BBCShe has penned several books, including one on building confidence – full of advice and realism borne from her own difficult experience.
Katie is clear on what will and won’t help during this difficult time.
“Look at the science and look at the practicalities,” she added. “We know stress and anxiety affects immunity so the more fearful and the more worked up you become the more it lowers your defences.
“That’s why you have to be mindful. Maybe you can ask yourself, how much am I listening to the news, watching news programmes?
“Am I reading books that will help? What am I listening to, will this podcast help? Put things into your mind and soul that will nourish it.
“Keep a perspective, too. Things are heightened at the moment. Let go of what’s not in your control, and focus on what is in your control – sleep, diet, stillness, peace. Recovery.”
It sounds authoritative but Katie is the first to admit even she has found it difficult to adjust over the past few weeks.
“In the beginning I did struggle with this,” she said. “We were having to behave in a way we’ve never behaved before.
“But once I accepted and let go, and made a new normal for myself, I felt better. That new normal can involve doing little things.
“Like wearing the same pair of pants for two days. So it’s a strange normal!
“It’s all about acceptance, and letting go and being all right with lowering your expectations.
“I’ve stopped setting an alarm – I just wake up when I fancy now.
“What will I be like when I go back? It’ll get to 10am and you’ll hear me say, ‘I’m tired, I need a biscuit…’”
Six of the best: Katie’s must-listen interviews
Throughout the podcast series Katie has chatted with inspirational people. Here are a few…
Jacqueline Jossa
The former EastEnder and reigning queen of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! chats about life in the jungle, dealing with internet trolls, and her struggles with postpartum hair loss.
Nadiya Hussain
The GBBO winner and author discusses the importance of speaking openly about her anxiety, how Bake Off changed her life, and the experience of writing her memoirs.
Dame Jessica Ennis Hill
The Olympic star opens up about how she dealt with negative thoughts, balancing motherhood alongside being a professional athlete, and how she became the best heptathlete in the world.
Gail Porter
Following her involuntary section into hospital in 2011, the model and TV presenter was motivated to write and speak about her mental health. She chats about unconditional love, losing her hair 15 years ago to alopecia, and the importance of her support network.
Tim Lovejoy
The Sunday Brunch presenter speaks to Katie about losing his 37-year-old brother to cancer. Tim talks about the bereavement he experienced and, indirectly, how he became fascinated with food and nutrition.
Denise Fergus
The murder of James Bulger in 1993 shook the UK. The victim’s mother talks to Katie about the impact of his death and subsequently dedicating her life to campaigning and charitable work.
Katie Piper’s Extraordinary People is available from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast and other podcast services.
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