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Inspiring new Love Island star reveals why she keeps scarred skin in freezer after near-fatal fire-breathing accident
The influencer spoke of her torment before becoming a motivational speaker
A NEW Love Island star has revealed why she keeps her scarred skin in the freezer after narrowly escaping death when a fire-breathing trick went horribly wrong.
Influencer Sophie Lee, 29, is set to redefine what it means to be beautiful and bold on TV when the ITV2 dating show returns next month.
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Former fire-breather Sophie, from Manchester, is the latest glam star to join the line-up.
But, aged 22, a horrific near-death stage accident changed her life forever.
In her memoir, In My Skin, which details the painful accident, Sophie describes the moment that the fireball struck in the freak accident.
“Everyone gasped as I sprayed the paraffin out of my mouth,” she wrote.
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“Through the gaps I had allowed to form between my eyelids, I saw a fireball launching towards my face, the heat was projecting back towards me but there was no time to protect myself.
“The whole thing happened in a split second but I can still play it through frame by frame.
"The terrifying sight of the fire hurtling back to me, the scorching feeling on my face, my sharp intake of breath as the fire licked over my skin, starting to smell the unmistakable odour of burning hair.
“I started to smell my skin burning, I could feel it creeping up my face. I was worried for my eyes, I was scared and my whole body felt cold.
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"I was on fire for less than 30 seconds, but that was all it took to scorch my skin, changing my appearance, and my life, for ever.”
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The first time Sophie caught her reflection after the accident, it was an emotional gut punch.
She continued: “I looked like a monster, my life was over. I screamed and cried.
“I considered myself young, energetic, fit and full of life. All of that had been taken away from me. It will be remembered forever as the lowest point of my life.”
That doesn’t mean, however, that Sophie has any negative feelings towards her scars.
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She has so much love for them, in fact, that not only is she open about her journey online, she has kept some of her scarred skin forever after it fell off following her surgery.
Sophie explained: “I didn’t have the heart to throw it in the bin, so I found a small Tupperware box to put it in before putting it in the freezer. It’s still there. Next to the peas, no big deal.”
It is not just Sophie’s beauty, therefore, that attracted Love Island bosses but the incredible story that the influencer has to share.
A source said: “Sophie is a gorgeous girl and a powerhouse of a woman who has overcome everything life has thrown at her.
“Love Island bosses are thrilled to give Sophie the platform to discuss her accident and how she’s become comfortable in her skin since.
“The series has always tried to be about more than just looks and Sophie is a classic example of an Islander with real substance.
“Now, Sophie’s in the mix for this year’s cast, with show executives deciding soon if she will be in the original line-up or come into the villa later as a bombshell.”
I started to smell my skin burning, I could feel it creeping up my face
Sophie Lee
ITV this week announced Love Island would launch on June 9 but has not yet confirmed its cast.
And it is a huge audience that Sophie will share her story with, as the show’s 12 series have now been streamed two billion times on ITVX.
Sophie blames an air conditioning unit for blowing the fireball back towards her face during a performance in Chicago.
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Sophie recalled in an interview with Fabulous Magazine: “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.”
What followed was a month in an intensive care unit in an American hospital, alone and disorientated, as machines helped her to breathe and nurses monitored her around the clock.
She had suffered severe burns to her head and chest.
Then, as she recovered, a tumour began to develop where the skin had been most damaged.
She added: “That was a scary, scary time. I couldn’t breathe by myself, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t really see.
“I was pretty out of it but, on day two, I looked in the mirror and just cried.”
While it felt like the end, Sophie now feels like it was the beginning.
Stunning Sophie, who is a model, now works with Sophie Piper’s foundation and regularly posts online about her process of healing from facial scarring, body positivity and self-love.
Sophie has also become a successful beauty influencer, winning the Beauty Awards Influencer of the Year 2023, and was nominated for the Woman of the Hour Award.
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She has also modelled for countless campaigns and fashion companies over the past few years, including Missguided’s LoveThySelf initiative, as well as featuring in a Netflix documentary.
A year after the accident, Sophie underwent cryosurgery, a freezing procedure to remove the tumour that had formed on her face, performed by a leading industry expert.
She went on to receive multiple rounds of steroid injections to aid healing, and is open in sharing her routine with various creams and treatments to help diminish the effect of her scarring on her face.
Now, Sophie keeps busy by using her online platform to tell her story, publishing her book last year as another way to challenge the concept of conventional beauty standards.
“I wanted to stand up for those who didn’t fit in with society’s beauty ideals,” she wrote. “I wanted people to see I was owning my scars.
“I wanted to start telling my story and to show that, above all, I was grateful to be alive.
“I was terrified about the reaction, the internet can be a nasty place, but all I got back was kindness. People said I was unique, beautiful, brave. I knew I had to do more.
“I cried over my scars for a long time, I wished them away, but now I see things differently.
“These days if I sense someone looking at me, I brush it off - I know people are curious, but back then, I wanted the ground to swallow me up. I didn’t want to be different.
“Now, I wear my scars with pride. I feel stronger when I show myself: all of me.
“I’m done with hiding who I am.”
Her openness caught the attention of big names, including Love Island’s hostess Maya Jama, who Sophie gushed over as her “girl crush” revealed had ‘liked’ some of her body-positive posts.
While it might be her first time coming face to face with the show’s host when she appears on ITV2 next month, there’s no doubt Sophie won’t be rattled by the show’s hunky men, having already dated one.
I looked in the mirror and just cried
Sophie Lee
Scottish show star Ouzy See revealed that he was dating the influencer when they appeared together at the Beauty Awards in 2023, posing for photos on the red carpet.
Ouzy, who dated Kady McDermott on the show, gushed over Sophie to The Sun: “She’s inspirational.”
There is little surprise, then, that Sophie is ready to head into the Love Island villa in search of romance, as well as more visibility for her message.
She joins a list of other past islanders, including Tasha Ghouri, the show’s first deaf contestant, and Dr Alex George, now a youth mental health ambassador, who have used their newfound fame to campaign for causes close to their hearts.
Sophie continued: “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 rollercoaster, so love your perfectly imperfect life.
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“I developed a sense of independence that I hadn’t experienced previously [after my accident], I grew an inner strength like none I’d ever known.
“I am on the path to becoming a better woman, and that is something I will always be grateful for.”
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