Katie Piper has revealed a date once left her with a £740 restaurant tab after running off due to her facial disfigurement.
The British author and TV presenter, 41, was the victim of a horrific acid attack set up by her ex-boyfriend when she was 24 - leaving her with severe scarring to her face, neck, chest, arms and hands.
Speaking at the Hay Festival, Piper recalled the shocking moment a man she had met in a bar invited her to the famously expensive Japanese restaurant Nobu in central London, before doing a runner.
'We'd met on a night out. I'd had pioneering treatment with incredible results, so when I would go out somewhere with dark lighting, where people were very drunk, often they weren't able to see what I fully looked like,' she said.
'So I met this guy and we messaged for quite a long time. He suggested we go out for dinner. I hated going out for dinner because I had a lot of oesophageal damage and often I'd choke when I ate, so the whole idea of eating in front of someone on a first date was nerve-wracking, but I agreed.'
The date took place in summer so it was daylight, the star said, and she realised straight away the man had not realised she had a facial disfigurement when first meeting her in the bar.
The date had chosen the dinner location and ordered a three-course meal, Piper added.
'He said, ''I've seen some people I know over there, I'm going to go and say hi to them and I'll be back''. He didn't come back.'
Katie Piper inside the Winners Room at the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on May 11
The British author and TV presenter, 41, was the victim of a horrific acid attack set up by her ex-boyfriend when she was 24
Piper recalled the shocking moment a man she had met in a bar invited her to the famously expensive Japanese restaurant Nobu in central London, before doing a runner (pictured in 2023)
Piper, now happily married and a mother-of-two, said she ran through 'ridiculous excuses' as she sat at the table, considering if the man might have suddenly become ill.
She didn't have a lot of money at the time - living on disability benefit after the attack - but ended up paying the £740 bill on her own.
Shockingly, Piper said the man got back in touch with her years later after seeing her on Strictly Come Dancing, not to offer an apology but to joke: 'We must catch up!'
The mother said she wishes she had replied with a more assertive response but simply replied: 'Lol yeah, let's do that. Haha.'
Since the attack, Piper has been a fierce advocate for the well-being and inclusion of survivors of burns and traumatic scarring.
She believes in the importance of improved after-care, rehabilitation, and a world where scars do not hinder a person's quality of life.
