TW: Contains sensitive material relating to violence
"Today is a really special day for me," says Katie Piper. "It feels like quite a poignant moment."
The writer, activist and presenter was today honoured by the Queen with an OBE for her services to charity. An inspiration to many, Piper rebuilt her life after surviving an acid attack in 2008 when she was 24 years old. In 2009, while still in the early stages of her recovery, she launched the Katie Piper Foundation to benefit victims of burns and scars.
"I've been on a really long journey. I'm only 38 years old but sometimes it feels like I've lived two lives," she tells us in an exclusive video, as she gets ready to receive her honour at Windsor Castle. "My journey to become a charity founder, a trustee, hasn't really been a traditional one."
"I was attached by a former boyfriend in an orchestrated attack, where he hired someone to throw sulphuric acid into my face," she explains, in the moving video. "This happened in broad daylight; I wasn't alone walking down a dark alleyway, I was in public in rush hour in London at 5pm. As you can imagine, this attack left me with life-changing injuries."
She continues: "It sounds like a very horrific story, but actually, what this story is is one of hope. Not just hope for me, but hope for all of us, because the way I survived this is obviously a huge credit to the medical professionals and psychologists that supported me, but one of the ways I survived this was by relying on the most powerful muscle in the human body, which is the mind. The mind can be a desperate, dark prison, but it can also be a tower of strength."
To receive her OBE from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle, which she received as part of the New Year Honours list, Piper chose an all-white outfit - "to represent peace, serenity and calm". Fittingly, top-to-toe white is also a look commonly known as 'suffragette white', worn by women wanting to make a statement. Her suit is by The Deck London ("the only female tailor on Saville Row"), which she paired with a bespoke silk scarf, embroidered with the name of the doctor that saved her life, her date of birth, the date that her "life changed forever", and the date she launched her foundation.
She finished her look with pearl-encrusted Jimmy Choo platform heels - pearls being representative of faith, charity and loyalty - a white clutch bag and an amethyst ring by Dinny Hall, amethyst being known for its protective properties. It was also important to Piper that everything she was wearing was by a British brand or designer.
"Everything I'm wearing today has a very special meaning to it," she explains. "I work very closely with Emily Evans, who styled me today, and the whole outfit was a vision and collaboration together [inspired by] my recovery and my journey." They chose the trouser suit because it felt "empowering" and made her feel assertive. "I really feel like in my journey of self confidence that clothes have been a big part in expressing myself and my identity and making me feel in control."
"What sits before you I suppose is quite a glamorous image," she says, "because I dressed up today to go to Windsor Castle to receive this award. But my face was rebuilt..." She goes on to detail the extensive restoration process (involving upwards of 300 procedures), describing it as "fascinating" and "just incredible".
The journey took her on a spiritual journey too, she says, in which she discovered the power of positive thinking, and the way in which we cope with trauma - which she believes is all of our own individual responsibilities. This work lead to her connecting with other burns victims, realising that she was in a position to help others, and consequently launching her foundation.
"Yes, trauma is a fact of life, but it needn't be a life sentence," she says. "As my confidence rebuilt and my acceptance and surrendering to this new life took place, I realised that I may be able to help other people.... We weren't victims, like we were referred to in our medical notes. We were survivors. We wanted a second chance at life."
Discover Katie's incredible story, in her own words, in our exclusive video above.
Photography by Zak Walton, hair by Zeb Gethen, make-up by Toby Salvietto, styling by Emily Evans.
For more information about the work of the Katie Piper Foundation, or to donate, click here.
