I'm scarred for life from terrifying accident but I'm going to prove it not all about looks, says Love Island's Sophie
FORMER fire-breather Sophie Lee said she's going to prove that Love Island is not just about looks after being left scarred for life following a terrifying accident.
The brave star, 28, hopes to use her time in the villa to spread awareness about body positivity.
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Sophie's life was changed when she was just 22, after a fire-breathing accident left her with significant burns.
The incident took place whilst she was performing in Chicago, when an air-conditioner blew the flames she was expelling back towards her.
Sophie told The Sun and other press that the ITV2 dating show is more than just about bikini bodies and glam looks.
She said: "[It should be about] all beauty. Even my Mum, she asked me, 'What if this bombshell comes in? How you gonna feel about that?' I'm like, 'Well, this is what I signed up for, love!' They're gonna be stunning."
The influencer revealed the real reason why she turned down the opportunity to appear on Love Island in previous years.
She shared: "Body confidence for me has been something I've worked on.
"This is a show, which is why I had to make this a big choice of mine, in terms of thinking about all these things: am I ready? Am I in a part of my life where I'm confident? That's why previously, when I've been approached to do the show, I said no, because I wasn't ready."
Motivational speaker Sophie said she has spent the last few years working on herself and rebuilding her confidence.
"I didn't feel good in myself. I still had a lot of inner work to do on me," she continued.
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"Now, I'm in a part of my life where I feel like I'm the woman that I'm meant to be.
"I'm proud that I can say, 'I'm confident, I feel beautiful.' I think beauty is not just about what you look like.
"You can wear a bin bag but feel beautiful.
"It's more about how I'm feeling on the inside, and right now, I feel like I'm at my best.
"I feel like I'm in a part of my life where I can handle rejection. I can handle if things aren't for me, because they're just not my person, that's OK."
The star, from Manchester, previously opened up to The Sun about the terrifying incident.
She said: 'The air-con was too strong so when I blew the fire out it blew back to me. It set me on fire. I just remember being in so much pain, I blacked out for a little bit. It's crazy.
'It happened in front of everyone and I had to get on with it as professionally and quickly as I could. As soon as I got into the ambulance, I was in bits."
She added: That was a scary, scary time. I couldn't breathe by myself, I couldn't eat, I couldn't really see, it was scary. I was pretty out of it but on day two I looked in the mirror and just cried.'
Sophie spent a month in an intensive care clinic in America, before battling with a tumour which began growing on the side of her face.
Becoming an activist
Sophie has used her own experiences to become an activist, spreading awareness about unfair beauty standards and the importance of body positivity.
She said: 'Life since the accident is definitely something I didn't expect because I just see myself as someone who went through something and thought my story could help others.
'My aim was never to get awards or receive that type of attention. With the platform I have now, I feel like I have not only a responsibility to others but a responsibility to myself to be a better person everyday and to always be evolving.
'If people were to take a message from my story I'd say that beauty is always skin deep and your life is perfect just as it is.
'You just need to be yourself and accepting of life's roller coaster so love your perfectly imperfect life.'
She has worked extensively with Katie Piper's charity and even wrote a book entitled In My Skin.
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