Katie Piper’s life and career in pictures: First Strictly Come Dancing 2018 contestant
KATIE PIPER is the first contestant to be named in the 2018 line-up for Strictly Come Dancing. See the television presenter’s life and career in pictures.
Strictly Come Dancing: Katie Piper revealed as first contestant
Katie Piper was confirmed as the first person to join the cast of Strictly Come Dancing 2018.
The television presenter, 34, appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin to reveal the news.
Katie said she was “excited” to be taking part in the popular dancing show and hopes to be partnered with Italian professional dancer Giovanni Pernice.
Before embarking on a career in the media as a model and digital TV presenter, Katie trained as beautician.
However, in 2008 the former beauty pageant contestant was attacked and sulphuric acid was thrown in her face by Stefan Sylvestre an accomplice of her ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch.
Both men are currently serving life sentences for the crime.
After undergoing numerous surgeries and skin grafts to rebuild her face following the severe burns inflicted during the attack, Katie made an excellent recovery.
The following year, Katie took part in a Cutting Edge documentary on Channel 4 to raise awareness for burns victims. The show was called Katie: My Beautiful Face.
As well as appearing in a follow-up programme Katie: My Beautiful Friends, the TV personality has also released a best-selling autobiography and presented numerous TV shows such as Channel 4’s Bodyshockers and Never Seen a Doctor.
In addition to her TV career, Katie is also kept busy with her charity work. The Katie Piper Foundation was launched in 2009 and campaigns to make specialist treatment for burns victims more widely available in the UK.
In her personal life, the author is happily married to carpenter Richard Sutton. The pair got married on November 6, 2015 and have two daughters together.
Katie gave birth to the couple’s first child Belle in March 2014 and a second daughter, Penelope, three years later.
The mother-of-two confessed she feels ‘privileged’ to be taking part of her favourite show on TV.
Strictly Come Dancing will return to BBC One later this year.