If you had to pick the two words most associated with Katie Piper, you’d go for ‘courage’ and ‘resilience’. But last week, Katie was the first to admit that, for all its glittery glamour, her experience of Strictly Come Dancing has been more than a little challenging.
‘I totally underestimated what it was going to be like,’ she says. ‘It’s such a clichéd word to use, but for me it really is a journey – probably a slower one than for some of the others who are a lot better than me.’ The 34-year-old campaigner describes her first two performances – including a paso doble that judge Craig Revel Horwood awarded a miserly two points – as ‘rubbish’. Viewers have been more forgiving, flooding social media with messages of support that branded the judges’ harsh comments unfair.
As they’ve pointed out, not only is Katie not a performer, unlike some other contestants, but her injuries make dancing live in front of millions even more difficult than it already sounds. They’re from the acid attack she suffered in 2008, which left her needing 250 operations. ‘I can’t do the ballroom holds very well because of the scarring on the left side of my neck, and I keep missing my step on that side because I’m blind in that eye,’ she says. ‘If you try to dance with one eye shut, it’s really difficult.’
Her attacker, Stefan Sylvestre, is soon to be released from prison, adding to the anxiety Katie still suffers from. It’s a testament to her strength that she insists, ‘I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. You’ve also got Lauren [Steadman, the Paralympian], and she’s really good.’
Katie’s working her hardest to improve, but admits Strictly’s been a test of her confidence. ‘At first I was making unhealthy comparisons between myself and the other girls in the competition,’ she says. ‘In my normal work I feel confident because I know what I’m doing, but put me in front of all these dancers and I feel like the runt of the litter.’
Her mantra, though, which stems from her years of recovery and mentoring others with burns and scars through The Katie Piper Foundation, is that self-belief ‘isn’t about having an aesthetically pleasing body, but comes from having a positive opinion about yourself and the reasons behind that’. She says she’s body confident because, ‘My body’s come out of a coma, it’s saved my life, it’s given me two kids, so I’m in awe of it and its ability to recover.’
Rather than hide her scars away, she makes the most of what she’s able to do. ‘I’ve been in positions where I couldn’t exercise, so when I can be free with my body and run and go to the gym and dance, I never take that for granted.’ Having her daughters, Belle, four, and Penelope, 10 months, has made her even more determined not to hold herself back, so they grow up seeing what’s possible.
She’s also passionate about being ‘truthful about what I put out there’ in a world in which we’re more used to seeing enhanced images than real ones. She doesn’t digitally alter the images she posts on social media because, she says, ‘I want to be open and transparent.’
Like increasing numbers of women, she’s had enough of Insta-fakeness. ‘I had a big detox a couple of months ago where I unfollowed loads of people on Instagram when I realised I was following too many artificial pages,’ she says. ‘Now I follow a lot of activists, mum bloggers, plus-size models and disability campaigners, so every day my feed is filled with real people doing important things. It’s a more rounded view of what’s really happening out there.’
Click through to see all of the inspirational Instagram accounts you should be following...
Inspirational Instagram Accounts You Should Follow
1 of 24Women In Comics
Illustrating inspirational images and depicting women in comic form, this account will brighten up your timeline with some home truths in the form of pretty pictures.
2 of 24Adwoa Aboah
This insanely beautiful model founded GURLS TALK, an online community where women from all backgrounds can share their personal experiences in a safe space.
3 of 24Alicia Garza
Alicia is an editor and activist who co-created #BlackLivesMatter. Her feed is a mixture of relatable memes, unfiltered selfies and educational posts to keep you woke.
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4 of 24Amandla Stenberg
You might recognise this actor from The Hunger Games, when she played the character only character we cried endless tears for, Rue. Now, while still acting, she's a full-fledged activist posting about everything gender, feminism and black culture.
5 of 24MuslimGirl/Amani
Amani created the fast-growing activism account @MuslimGirl, another one you should definitely follow. She has spoken across the world about Muslim women and posts everything from badass selfies to stats you need to know.
6 of 24Amber Amour
Amber created @CreatingConsentCulture which aims to educate people on rape culture and support rape and sexual assault survivors. She's also outspoken about racism and sex work, her feed will be endless many dinner party talking points.
7 of 24Amber Rose
You may only know Amber Rose as Kanye's ex, but think again. Amber is a sex positivity icon, with her own pocast 'Loveline with Amber Rose' up until 2018 that aimed to promote healthy sexual relationships and self-love. If you can get past the fact she advertised flat tummy tea once (fgs Amber), you'll love her feminism-filled feed.
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8 of 24Beverly Bond
Author of 'Black Girls Rock', Beverly's posts will have you both inspired and enraged, filled with commentary on everyday injustices.
9 of 24Bree Newsome
You may recognise Bree as the activist who took down the confederate flag from a flagpole outside the South Carolina Capitol building. She's continuing her activism with inspiring art you need to see.
10 of 24Cameron Russell
An american model who called out the fashion industry for sexual harassment and assault, she started the #MyJobShouldNotIncludeAbuse hashtag. Her instagram is full of inspiring stories and educational videos exposing different injustices within her industry and beyond.
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11 of 24Iskra Lawrence
If your not already following Iskra, your living under an Instagram rock. The body positive model started her own business, everyBODY with Iskra, to give health and fitness advice beyond just getting super skinny. You need her body posi vibes in your life.
12 of 24Jessamyn
Another super body positive account to follow, Jessamyn is a yoga teacher regularly posting about the emotional and physical benefits of body positivity and practicing yoga.
13 of 24Joanna Thangiah
Shun your timeline of filtered selfies and over exposed holiday destinations. It's time for some feminist, mental health aware art! This account is amazing for cute cartoons that say everything we're already feeling.
14 of 24Judy Reyes
You'll probably remember Judy as Carla from Scrubs, or one of the other thousand TV show she's been in throughout her insanely successful career. Unlike most Hollywood actors, her Insta is full of activism and news you need to know.
15 of 24Logan Browning
Activist and actor, Logan Browning is the lead of Netflix hit Dear White People. Posting powerful content and links to charities you can donate to so you can turn your online activism into action- she's a force to be reckoned with.
16 of 24Makers Women
MAKERS is a storytelling platform for women, posting quotes to keep you inspired throughout the day. Stay up to date with gender injustice, while also feeling hopeful with the powerful words these amazing women have to say.
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17 of 24Nimisha Bhanot
Another artist you need to follow, Nimisha creates amazing prints (which you can buy) critiquing societal perceptions of South Asian women. She's based in Canada, but these prints can brighten up your timeline anywhere.
18 of 24Muslim Girl
Muslim Girl, where 'muslim women talk back' is an account ran by Amani. Advocating for issues facing muslim women, both accounts are an inspiration and necessity on your feed.
19 of 24Project Consent
There's no time like the present to be educating people on consent. This account does exactly that, and gives you the perfect explanations, comebacks and reminders to throw out at a dinner party if the issue comes up.
20 of 24Rowan Blanchard
Gone are the days of Disney stars going off the rails, this actor and activist is a beacon of positivity- especially online. Fighting gender and race injustice and beyond, she's one to watch.
21 of 24Rupi Kaur
Rupi made headlines in 2015 when she posted pictures of her on Instagram with visible menstrual blood. Her posts were blocked by Instagram, causing backlash against the social media platform. She continues to break boundaries with her writing and poetry.
22 of 24Sophie King
This UK based embroidery artist is an up-and-coming star, embroidering feminist slogans onto everything from bras to roses. Bring her insta to life with her slogan t-shirts, or just stare at the pretty pictures, either way she's someone you should follow.
23 of 24The Vulva Gallery
Our favourite of all the accounts, the vulva gallery promotes self-love in an area SO often ignored. With two-thirds of women avoiding smear tests, life-saving procedures, because of the look of their vagina, it's time we stopped all of the self-loathing around genitals. Providing a regular reminder that all vaginas are beautiful, if you only follow one account of this list, it should be this one.
24 of 24Trash Is For Tossers
Lauren Singer lives an entirely waste-free life. Yes, you can actually do that. As #plasticfree takes over our news feed, it's time you had some daily advice on how exactly to reduce your waste. Save the planet!
This week, she’s launching a podcast called Katie Piper’s Extraordinary People, in which she interviews people who’ve rebuilt their lives after life-changing events. ‘People like that come up to me in restaurants or in the street and tell me phenomenal things. So I decided to do a podcast about their stories, the emotions, the challenges and their advice about how to move on.’
She hopes her Strictly journey continues. ‘I joined because I wanted to feel sexier and freer and work on letting go,’ she says. ‘I think it’s going to be good for me.’ ‘
Strictly Come Dancing’ is on Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One