The anguish behind Strictly Katie’s tears
Attacker parole affected dance
KATIE Piper has admitted the thrill of going on Strictly has not taken her mind off her acid attacker’s prison release as she had hoped.
And the torment on her face as the judges laid into her poor performance suggested she is still struggling to cope.
The 34-year-old told how she has now asked for upbeat songs for routines as ballads leave her feeling down.
Katie, who was stunned to learn Stefan Sylvestre was granted parole nine years into a life sentence for carrying out the horrific acid attack on her, said: “When the lyrics are emotional, that’s tough.
“I have been having lots of things going on in my personal life, legal things, and I think it [dancing] became psychologically overwhelming for me.
“My hope this week is that we have a much more upbeat song.”
Sylvestre threw acid at Katie in 2008 on the orders of her jealous ex David Lynch. The pair were jailed for life in 2009. But when she heard Sylvestre had won a bid to be freed, Katie told how
getting a place on Strictly would give her something else to focus on. She said: “Whilst there is never a good time to hear this, I have this new journey to concentrate on.” But her first week’s performance with Gorka Marquez did not impress the judges. Mum-of-two Katie was tearful as Craig Revel Horwood gave her two points, Shirley Ballas three and Bruno Tonioli four. But she got through to next week with public votes. Katie also told how learning a new skill on Strictly has affected her concentration at home. She said: “I’ve had sleepless nights. There’s so much to think about. “I’ve been trying not to drink too much alcohol, although I did have a gin last night as water leaked through my ceiling. “I was bathing my daughter, we’ve got a shower head which I thought I’d turned off but it was dribbling water that went out of the bath and into our kitchen. “I get really emotional on Mondays and Tuesdays, it’s always then I want to storm off in a tantrum and cry because it’s a new routine and song, it’s so overwhelming.”