Katie Piper forced to pull out of ITV show last minute

Katie Piper was forced to pull out of her ITV breakfast show at the last minute this weekend because of an "unexpected medical procedure".

The presenter and campaigner made the announcement on Saturday morning on Instagram, adding that the host Charlotte Hawkins would be stepping in for her.

Piper, 40, was left with serious injuries and permanent scarring after an acid attack in 2008.

In her post, she assured fans "all is well", adding: "I hope after some rest I'll be back in the hot seat next weekend."

Fellow presenters were quick to offer their support to Piper following her announcement.

Hawkins, who is usually seen on Good Morning Britain, wrote that she was "sending lots of love" to Piper.

"Take care wonderful lady," echoed TV personality Carol Vorderman. "You come first. Telly is just telly. Sending huge loves and respect."

"We can't wait to have you back!", the broadcaster Elle Osili-Wood added.

Piper's morning show runs for an hour and features a range of celebrity guests and discussions.

The former model has had hundreds of surgeries to repair damage to her face and eyesight following the attack on the orders of her ex-boyfriend, which took place when she was 24 years old.

She lost sight in one eye but doctors at the Queen Victoria Hospital, in East Grinstead, restored it.

Piper, a mother of two, later set up her own foundation aimed at making it easier to live with burns and scars.

She has previously said that society needs to change as a whole, for people with facial disfigurements to feel accepted.

In 2009, she made a Channel 4 documentary about her experience called Katie: My Beautiful Face.

She was made an OBE in 2021 in honour of her services to charity and victims of burns and other disfigurement injuries.