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Katie Piper has revealed that she ‘risked complete blindness’ while filming her latest documentary, Jailhouse Mums, in America.
The presenter, 39, who underwent an operation on her eye last month, was forced to make multiple hospital dashes after suffering a terrifying ‘haemorrhage.’
In 2008 at the age of 24, she was the victim of a horrific sulphuric acid attack when a man she’d dated for only two weeks raped her then paid a hitman to attack her.
Subsequently, Katie lost the sight in one eye and has battled to keep the health of her other, but she did not let that deter her from finishing the project.
The TV personality explained to The Daily Star: ‘While filming I was unfortunately going in and out of hospital because I had a problem with my eye. It burst and I had a haemorrhage.
Scary: Katie Piper has revealed that she ‘risked complete blindness’ while filming her latest documentary, Jailhouse Mums, in America
Struggle: The presenter, 39, who underwent an operation on her eye last month , was forced to make multiple hospital dashes after suffering a terrifying ‘haemorrhage’ (pictured with her consultant after her eye operation last month)
‘I’m already blind in one eye, so any other attack or injury may leave me permanently blind. Safety is always key within a prison environment. I know it sounds selfish, but I was worried about my own injuries, which present vulnerabilities.’
Katie continued of her ordeal: ‘It was scary. But then I knew I had to put myself in that environment to cover this subject properly.’
In May, Katie revealed she had underwent an operation to fix a defect in her left eye, informing fans that she’d had a tissue graft.
She shared a slew of snaps of herself looking cheerful, while wearing a white eye patch taped to her face.
Katie posed alongside her consultant and medical team and thanked them for their ‘brilliant’ treatment.
Captioning the shots, she wrote: ‘Back with my brilliant team @centreforsightuk yesterday.’
She explained: ‘I’ve had a defect for many months now so today I had tissue grafted onto my left eye to avoid perforation.
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‘I never stop being amazed by what can done with the eyes especially with such extreme injuries, I’m a complex patient but my consultant @sherazdaya always has a plan to help me and my eye.
Shock injuries: In 2008, at age 24, a corrosive substance was thrown over her, during a terrifying ordeal which left her disfigured and blind in one eye
Ordeal: The TV personality explained: ‘While filming I was unfortunately going in and out of hospital because I had a problem with my eye. It burst and I had a haemorrhage’
Medical issue: ‘I’m already blind in one eye, so any other attack or injury may leave me permanently blind’
‘I feel so lucky to be looked after by such a professional, passionate and caring team.’
Staying positive, Katie added: ‘I’m feeling optimistic and hopeful that I will heal and make some steps forward’.
Katie’s latest medical procedure comes after a long list of complications she suffered following a sulphuric acid attack back in 2008.
Katie has two daughters – Belle, nine, and Penelope, five – with Richard, her builder/carpenter husband of eight years, but she spent many weeks apart from them this year in the USA, filming her five-part documentary Jailhouse Mums.
Family: ‘I spoke to mums who had regrets, felt guilt and had fractured relationships with their children, which made me think about my kids’ (pictured with her children and husband Richard Sutton)
Apart: Katie spent many weeks apart from her family this year while in the USA filming her five-part documentary Jailhouse Mums (pictured on the show)
Speaking recently to Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine, she added of the project: ‘I spoke to mums who had regrets, felt guilt and had fractured relationships with their children, which made me think about my kids.’
‘I was always around six hours behind them so I had to set my alarm to crazy o’clock to keep up with them on FaceTime.
‘It was hard; I really missed them. Being a mother is the most important thing to me. It’s something I always wanted and I don’t take it for granted.’
Katie Piper’s Jailhouse Mums airs on Wednesday at 10pm on W, catch up on UKTV Play; Katie Piper’s Breakfast Show will be on weekly from Sunday 25 June on ITV1.
