Katie Piper has exposed cruel online abuse about her appearance after attending the NTAs.
The presenter addressed the comments in an emotional Instagram video after initially waking up feeling upbeat. Her showbiz friends quickly filled the replies with messages of support.
The 42-year-old said she had felt confident and pretty at the NTAs before notifications began appearing on her phone.
She joined her Loose Women colleagues at the ceremony, where the ITV show was nominated for Best Daytime. A red carpet interview then attracted remarks focusing on her face and hair.
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Katie Piper describes cruel NTAs comments
Recalling her mood before seeing them, Katie said: “I thought I looked really nice, I felt really pretty.”
That confidence was punctured when responses to the interview began appearing. Users speculated about cosmetic work and criticised her face, rather than discussing the interview. Katie said the stream of remarks appeared relentless.
She initially replied, asking why strangers felt entitled to police women’s appearances. However, she later described engaging with the commenters as a mistake.
Explaining the human impact, she said: “I am a normal person, I am a real person.”
Katie added that she was simply trying to live her life as a wife, mother and daughter.
She said: “I know I’m not beautiful, I know I don’t look like you. I know I’m not the prettiest person on your Instagram.”
The abuse sometimes left her feeling like “not putting yourself out there anymore”. Katie said the abusive messages had come from women.
That detail sharpened her concern about wider beauty standards and their impact. She argued such posts hurt every woman reading them, not only their immediate target.
Celebrities rally around Katie Piper
Support arrived quickly from presenters, singers and television stars. Myleene Klass, who attended the event with Katie, praised her, writing: “I was with you that night and I was over the moon to be with you. Your company, your energy, your funny one liners….and you also happened to look incredibly BEAUTIFUL. They don’t matter. They’re trying to. They just don’t.”
Strictly dancer Dianne Buswell praised Katie’s strength and beauty.
Rachel Stevens described her as inspirational. Lisa Snowdon celebrated her beauty inside and out, commenting: “You are the most beautiful inside and out Katie – never forget that.”
Rav Wilding reminded Katie that her husband, children and friends all know she is beautiful.
Dannii Minogue encouraged Katie to take time for herself without letting the commenters dim her light.
She wrote: “Katie – you, your words, your kindness and your digital footprint, you can be proud of. By all means take time for you, but do not let them take your light.”
Katie Piper challenges online beauty standards
Katie survived an acid attack in 2008. She suffered severe facial burns and was left blind in one eye.
She has since used her public work to support burns survivors and people living with disfigurement. Her latest post described how appearance-based abuse cut through an otherwise positive moment.
Read more: Katie Piper rushed to hospital by husband Richard after experiencing ‘severe pain’ in her eye
Her caption asked followers whether they understood who they were. Yet the response soon became a strong public show of solidarity.
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