I'm over bikini fear now: Katie Piper

TV presenter and former model Katie Piper, who suffered an acid attack in 2008, says she never thought she would wear a bikini again after the horrific incident. But she has overcome it now.

Piper had undergone more than 40 operations and skin grafts post the attack, but after years spent rebuilding her confidence, Piper has now said she is no longer worried about being "perfect".

A trained beautician, she is keen to help other women feel secure too, by dishing out beauty tips in a new Channel 4 show, called "Gok Live: Stripping For Summer", reports thesun.co.uk.

"A few years ago, I never thought I would want to have an intimate relationship or wear a bikini in public again. But I went on holiday to Portugal last month with my boyfriend and I wore the tiniest luminous yellow bikini," said Piper.

"So it is possible for people, no matter what has set them back, to feel good. After I was burned I got a lot of scars from skin grafts. But now I'm nearly 30, all those insecurities don't bother me," she said.

"I know I cannot change them so I just get on with it. Lots of people have invisible scars you can't always see, but they still have hang-ups - and they are just as relevant. Even before the attack I used to feel insecure about things - about being short, pear-shaped or smaller up-top. "I still obsess over stupid things sometimes but that's just being human," she added.

Piper also said that her latest three-part series is all about empowering women and building confidence.

"It is all about empowering women and building confidence and that's part of my daily working life, with my charity The Katie Piper Foundation. The more we see different body shapes and different faces on TV shows and in magazines, the more we will celebrate our differences," she said.

"I never want to be one of those people who get to their sixties and realise they've wasted their life worrying. I know through a really difficult lesson that once something has gone you can never get it back, so you need to make the most of it and appreciate what you have got. I'm looking forward to sharing that with people," she added.