TV presenter, author and charity founder Katie Piper, 38, on lockdown weight gain, the pitfalls of soul searching and the importance of breaking beauty taboos.
‘My non-negotiables are what I need to do to feel good and turn up every day. A big one is running. Four mornings a week at 6am, before everyone else in my house wakes up, I go out for 40 minutes and run between 5km and 7km. If you communicate your non-negotiables with everyone in your life, you can find a way to accommodate them.
‘When running, I’ll often multitask by listening to a podcast featuring a guest I’m soon [to be] interviewing on Loose Women or Radio 2. If I listen to music, it’ll be upbeat and fast to help me switch off, which I’m not very good at. I can’t sit still, so running is my meditation and the benefits are more than just physical. It’s a bit of a placebo because I feel I’ve done something just for me and that time feels luxurious, so I feel less resentful and stressed.
‘Prior to lockdown, life was harder for women. We didn’t do as much by phone or video call, so it wasn’t possible to nip out on the school run, then come home and work. Work had to be in-person and involved long days in London.
‘There was no flexibility and that was hard. I was washing clothes at midnight and missing my girls’ [daughters Belle, eight, and Penelope, four] bedtime four nights a week. I don’t live that life anymore and that’s great. Trust and flexibility has improved and I deliver more because I value the situation.
Katie Piper: ‘If you communicate your non-negotiables with everyone in your life, you can find a way to accommodate them.’
‘Receiving an OBE was a privilege. I started The Katie Piper Foundation in 2009 and the OBE [awarded to Katie, who suffered life-changing burns in an acid attack in 2008, for her services to charity and victims of burns and other disfigurement injuries] sends a strong message that inclusivity and diversity is at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
‘Being able to give the charity that platform is so important, and I feel just as encouraged being the face of both skincare brand La Roche-Posay and haircare brand Pantene, who I’ve worked with for years. Now Pantene is aligning with Lucy Edwards who is a fully-blind Tik Tok star. I’m blind in one eye and it’s incredible seeing such wonderful women breaking beauty taboos and stereotypes.
‘I remember seeing women on billboards with no imperfections and thinking they were beautiful and I wasn’t because they didn’t have pores and I did. So, what brands are doing is powerful and will help young girls coming after us.
‘I couldn’t do my job without being fit and healthy. Growing up, I had loads of hobbies including judo, running and dance. As a teenager, I started going to the gym but in my 20s, if I wanted to wear a crop top, I’d skip dinner to achieve a flat stomach, which I learned later wasn’t sensible.
‘As I got older, I found a wellbeing and mental health connection with exercise. I now have such respect for my body and do a combination of exercises. As well as running, I lift weights to gain strength and build core flexibility, which is empowering, especially when I notice myself getting stronger. I also love swimming with my eldest daughter, which helps keep my joints supple.
Katie Piper: ‘Receiving an OBE was a privilege. [It] sends a strong message that inclusivity and diversity is at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
‘Growing up, my parents were strict about healthy eating. I was only allowed fizzy drinks at parties and they always served home-cooked food. That mentality has stuck. I enjoy food and because Richie [Katie’s husband, carpenter Richard Sutton] and I don’t go out much because of the kids, we cook together on Saturday nights. It’s a social experience. I limit red meat but generally don’t restrict myself by not eating certain food groups. However, Monday to Thursday, I eat mindfully.
‘I have lots of fish, salads, raw fruit and veg, nuts and lots of green, pressed juices. Midweek, I don’t touch sweets and chocolate or alcohol because so many work events serve free alcohol, which can lead to drinking almost every day. That’s so bad for you.
‘My husband and I both gained two stones during lockdown. I got really fit at the start, then lockdown went on so long that suddenly none of our clothes fitted. We were eating puddings daily, drinking beers in the garden and were strict with the rules – if we went out to the supermarket, we wouldn’t go for a walk because we’d already been out once.
‘I shifted the weight by reintroducing a nutritious and filling diet, and getting active. I’m 5ft 2ins and am now back to my usual dress size of 8-10, but shaping up is not just about how you look. When I was eating a bad diet and not training, I struggled to get up for work and felt lethargic by 3pm because of sugar crashes. It wasn’t good enough and had to change!
Katie Piper: ‘When I was eating a bad diet and not training, I struggled to get up for work and felt lethargic by 3pm because of sugar crashes. It wasn’t good enough and had to change!’
‘Suffering and despair is part of life and it builds resilience. I allow myself to feel all the emotions on the spectrum and don’t demonise any as negative. When you suppress negative emotions, it becomes toxic. If you have a bad day, week or month, find the strength to sit with it to find out who you are, what your purpose is and what you’re good at. We can all do too much soul-searching and think: “Why am I depressed? Why is my life not like other people’s on Instagram?” Life isn’t supposed to be a stream of happy events and feelings. Life is a rich tapestry [of emotions].
‘I dip in and out of therapy depending when I need it. I might have it if I’m working on projects with people who have been traumatised or if something is happening with my charity. I have therapy to work on things and that has nothing to do with what happened to me 15 years ago – that’s so long ago and so dealt with. Therapy helps with normal things that most women struggle with when they’ve got a full-time job and a family – the stress of modern life and how fast it is. The overwhelm!
‘Worrying is a waste of time. It just steals your joy and keeps you busy doing nothing. I love this affirmation because when we worry, we think we’re in control, but most things we fret about never actually happen so it’s a waste of energy. Another mantra in a similar vein is: “Don’t let a bad day become a bad week or a bad month”. Often a bad day is just a bad email or a bad phone call. Perspective and mindset is key to thinking positively.
Katie Piper: ‘If you have a bad day, week or month, find the strength to sit with it to find out who you are, what your purpose is and what you’re good at.’
‘I look for beauty products with the purest ingredients. I treat my skin as I do my organs. I nourish it by giving it what it needs to help the cells regenerate. The skin is our largest organ and can renew and resurface after trauma but you’ve really got to look after it.
‘I never sleep in my make-up or use face wipes, I double cleanse and tone, and I use La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Hyaluronic Acid Serum a couple of times a week, plus Toleriane Dermallergo cream for daily repair, moisturising and hydration. I always use the Anthelios SPF50 all year around, not just because of the acid burns but to protect from skin cancer.
‘As I approach 40, I feel super grateful. I didn’t know if I’d ever get to 40 or what my health would be like if I did. I’m so lucky. Like everybody else, I watched Bowelbabe Deborah James’s life unfold. Looking at her with children, being a similar age to me, knowing what she would have given to reach the milestone of 50 and 60, I’ll never fall into the category of society that shames women for ageing. Ageing is such a privilege and life is for living not moaning about, because you’re lucky enough to have another year on this planet.’
A Little Bit of Hope, 100 Affirmations for Positive Living, by Katie Piper, (SPCK Publishing, £7.99) is out now. For information on Katie’s charity, visit katiepiperfoundation.org.uk.
