Katie Piper has spoken candidly about turning 40 – a milestone she once thought she would never reach following a near-fatal acid attack in 2008
Broadcaster and campaigner Katie Piper has described turning 40 as a milestone she never expected to reach, reflecting on the traumatic events that nearly claimed her life 17 years ago.
In an interview with The Times, the Loose Women panellist said she was surprised by the negative societal attitudes surrounding women ageing, particularly given the life-threatening ordeal she endured in her twenties.
“It was quite shocking for me, because turning 40 was only ever positive,” Piper said. “It was a celebration of my life and reaching a milestone I never thought I’d reach.”
Piper was 24 when she suffered life-changing injuries in an acid attack orchestrated by her ex-boyfriend, Daniel Lynch, in March 2008. Just two days after Lynch raped and stabbed her, he arranged for 19-year-old Stefan Sylvestre to throw sulphuric acid in her face.
The attack left Piper with extensive burns and permanent damage, including the loss of her nose, part of her ear, her eyelids, and partial vision in one eye. She was treated at a specialist burns unit in London, where surgeons performed pioneering reconstructive procedures, including the UK’s first use of a skin substitute to rebuild her face.
Her injuries also required extensive surgery to her mouth and tongue. Despite the severity of her injuries, Piper has since gone on to build a successful career in broadcasting and advocacy.
In the years following the attack, she waived her right to anonymity and told her story in the Channel 4 documentary Katie: My Beautiful Face, which brought national attention to the issue of acid attacks.
In 2009, she founded The Katie Piper Foundation, which supports burns survivors through rehabilitation and care. In 2022, she was awarded an OBE for her services to charity and victims of burns and other disfigurements.
She joined the panel of ITV’s Loose Women in 2021 and previously competed in Strictly Come Dancing in 2018. Piper has also published a best-selling autobiography and continues to use her platform to raise awareness about visible difference and resilience.
While acknowledging that her public profile stemmed from the attack, Piper emphasised that she does not want her achievements to be defined by it.
“It’s not like I’m an actress or a pop star,” she said. “I came to public attention as a news story, as a victim of a violent crime. I hope, 17 years on, I’m doing something different, but I think it’s probably unfair of me to say, ‘I don’t want to talk about the burns and the attack anymore.’”
She added: “I think it’s more that I don’t want to attribute my success [since] to that man’s actions against me.”
Piper said her continued success should instead be credited to her own resilience and hard work. “If I’m seen on Loose Women laughing about something entirely different or presenting a totally different show, the public starts to accept visibly different people doing lots of different things. And that is when inclusion and acceptance happen,” she said.
Since her recovery, Piper has married carpenter Richard Sutton, with whom she shares two daughters, Belle, 11, and Penelope, 7. The couple had hoped to have a third child but had to reconsider after Piper underwent emergency eye surgery.
Reflecting on the early assumptions made about her future, Piper said she was once expected to live a limited life. “For a long time, it was assumed that I’d be dependent on [my] parents and have a mediocre existence,” she said. “I had to write the rule book for me.”
Daniel Lynch was convicted of rape, grievous bodily harm, and actual bodily harm, and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years. Sylvestre received a life sentence with a minimum of six years and was released in 2018 after serving nine years. Lynch is expected to appear before a parole board next month.
Piper continues to campaign for greater understanding and support for those living with visible differences and remains committed to using her platform to foster greater inclusivity and resilience in public life.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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