Strictly Come Dancing 2018: Katie Piper hits out at trolls saying she makes mum's feel bad
STRICTLY COME DANCING star Katie Piper, who has been partnered up with Gorka Marquez for the BBC dance contest, didn’t hold back after fans accused her of posting images which made mothers feel “bad” about themselves.
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Katie Piper is normally seen as the quiet and retiring type, however, when a few of her social media followers lashed out at her for some of the photos she uploaded online, she blasted them for not dealing with their own “personal insecurities”.
The Strictly Come Dancing contestant acknowledged her posts about food and health made “some people cross.”
She said: “There are people online who, when I put pictures up, say, ‘you’re making mums feel bad!’ And it’s like, if you feel bad about this photo of me, those are your personal insecurities.
“I’m not about making people feel inadequate, trust me.”
If you feel bad about this photo of me, those are your personal insecurities
Katie, who is an avid gym-goer, also spoke to Women’s Health magazine about how she fell in love with fitness after using exercise as a way to pass time.
“I started spending my weekends doing races. Then I progressed to a half-marathon and I actually enjoyed it,” she said.
“It was in this moment that I connected with exercise. I was like, ‘I feel free – I feel young. I’m not going to accept those low expectations’. Instead of getting better, I wanted to go beyond.”
The mother-of-two also admitted to suffering from depression, especially after giving birth to her second child with husband Richard James Sutton.
“When you have another child, you have no downtime. I did feel depressed and low, but your body is going through changes, physically and hormonally,” Katie told the publication.
“So I just tried to check in on myself, to make sure it wasn’t spiraling.”
The TV presenter, who regularly appears on shows such as This Morning and Loose Women, is due to perform this weekend on Strictly Come Dancing.
Both her and partner Gorka Marquez are keeping their new dance and song a secret, but Katie did tell her Instagram followers they were “making progress”.
In a video uploaded to the photo-sharing website, Katie offered: “So training update, today has gone very well we have done the whole routine all in one, back to front for the first time. We are making progress.”
She added she “can’t give too much away about the song and the dance,” before panning the camera to show Gorka, 28, who joked about the star having dreams about him.
The two were matching in attire, with Katie sporting a plunging black top which revealed a hint of cleavage and clung to her slim physique.
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Meanwhile, muscular Gorka wore a grey, short-sleeved, T-shirt that showed off his extensive tattoo collection and chiseled arms.
Katie had previously praised Gorka for being patience with her, after admitting she was not the strongest dancer in the line-up.
Alongside a picture of the pair smiling, she wrote: “Day two in the bag and I can confirm this man has the patience of a saint.”
Fans of the star were quick to encourage her, with one writing: “I’m so excited to see you do this! I think you will be amazing,” while another added: “Good luck honey were all rooting for ya.” (sic)
Read the full interview in the latest issue of Women's Health out now.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC on Saturday at 7.10pm.