Model Burned in Vicious Sulfuric Acid Attack

Jan. 5, 2010— -- Katie Piper was stunning. She had a look and a life in London that seemed to promise a bright future as a model.

"I was quite wild, carefree, 24 years old, I thought I was invincible, lived for the moment and loved life," she said. "If I went somewhere, people I met for the first time would say, 'Oh, you're really pretty.'"

Piper said her looks were the key to her aspiring career as a model and television presenter. But her dreams were destroyed when a complete stranger threw sulfuric acid in her face.

"This is when my life changed completely, forever…" she said, "This is when I lost my beautiful face."

Piper was raised in a small English village by a loving family. Her father, David Piper, said his daughter always had big dreams.

"I think always to make it in the media in some way or another. She always wanted to perform, I think. She always liked to have an audience. She was quite happy with that," he said.

At 22, Piper moved to bustling London -- two hours and a world away from her home town. Her parents let her move out on her own, but not without some reservations.

"Every father worries about their daughter when she leaves home, and going to a big city like that," David said. "One thing with Kate that I was always worried about: She was a bit too trusting."

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Piper's looks and lively personality were a big hit in London. Within months she had freelance jobs as a model and as a host on a shopping channel -- all stepping stones to her ultimate dream.

"I was auditioning, trying to climb higher and higher," she said. "I hoped to become an established presenter on primetime television."

Piper also started making friends and enjoyed the London nightlife. "I was quite the party animal," she said.

One of Katie's constant companions was her best friend, Kay Little.

"Katie has got the best personality I think I've ever met. She was physically very beautiful and we would go out to a bar or to a club or just shopping and heads would turn at this girl," Little said.