BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts

Hi everyone and welcome to another episode of the Jo Wix Podcast.

This week my guest is the presenter and author Katie Piper.

In 2008, Katie was the victim of an acid attack that left her with live-changing injuries.

She's written books about her experiences and formed a foundation to help other burns victims with their recoveries.

I first met Katie in 2018 when she visited me at the Bodycoach HQ in Richmond.

We done a workout together and we cooked a recipe and I loved meeting her and I've followed her on social media ever since and she really is an amazing human being.

She's a huge positive soul and in this chat we talk about her childhood, her writing and all the things she does now to stay healthy and happy.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Let's go.

So good morning Katie Piper OBE. Tell me a little bit about what it was like to receive that because I got my MBA this year. So congratulations and how was it?

Oh, do you know what it was quite surreal because for me, my most services to charity, which although it bears my name, it wasn't just me that got us to that point.

We've got a whole group of trusty staff, volunteer, so yeah, it was amazing festival to get it.

It was impossible to keep it a secret because obviously you know you find out a little bit before it gets announced.

So I had to kind of not tell anyone, not tell a mum and dad, which is really hard.

I don't know about you, but I loved kind of choosing what to wear, dressing up really smart. I chose my mum as my plus one and we'd like to do our hair and makeup together, went to Windsor Castle.

And then afterwards we did a big lunch for all my family and I think just kind of sharing it with the people that got you to that point is like the really special part.

You kind of reflect and think, well, I wouldn't be anything without all these people behind me.

Well, congratulations. I know the feeling of going to the palace. So I took my brother Nikki actually because Nikki is my best friend, he's a CEO.

He's always been in my ear through every workout, through lockdown. So I always said it was our MBA, but it was Princess Anne that gave mine. Who is it that gave you your OBE?

Yeah, I was the same Princess Anne, because I think obviously secretly everyone wants the Queen. I don't know if it's bad to say that, but I think you do.

But when I got Anne, it was amazing because whether she's just got a really good PA or if she's genuinely well researched, she was really like personable.

She knew a lot about my story, the charity. And she talked to me a lot about her own experiences where she's travelled to Bangladesh and she's worked with women and children who have been involved in acid attacks in Bangladesh.

...