- .She's been with her boyfriend for two years and moved in with him last year
By SHARI MILLER
All smiles: Acid attack victim Katie Piper has revealed she is expecting her first child
TV presenter Katie Piper - who survived an horrific acid attack at the hands of her ex-boyfriend - has announced she and her partner are expecting their first child.
The 30-year-old presenter and model said she was beaming after going to her 12-week scan last week and described the news as 'beyond incredible'.
Katie, who met her boyfriend two years ago, has happily gone from strength to strength in the five years since suffering the life-changing event that scarred her for life.
In 2008, she had been working as a model and had a bright future ahead of her when spurned ex-boyfriend, Daniel Lynch, arranged for acid to be thrown in her face.
Katie said of the happy news: 'I've always known that I have wanted children but there were moments after what happened to me that I never thought this would happen, I never believed this would be my future.
Speaking to The Sunday Mirror, she added: 'It's beyond incredible.
'It's because I'm so happy about it that it's been so hard keeping quiet and I'm actually relieved to be able to tell everyone.'
In her column for today's Sunday Mirror, glowing Katie added how happy she was to share the experience with music mogul Simon Cowell, who is also patron of her charity for burns victims and soon to become a first-time father with pregnant girlfriend Lauren Silverman.
She wrote: 'I'm very excited to share my news that I'm going to be a mummy.
'I'm so happy, and it's been really hard to keep it a secret.
'It's funny that both myself and Simon Cowell, who is patron of my charity the Katie Piper Foundation, are going through the same experience.
'Perhaps the children will be playmates one day.'
Fans have already reacted to the good news on Twitter, prompting Katie to reply she has been 'Overwhelmed by all the congratulations tweets and best wishes! Thank you so much has completely taken my mind of todays morning sickness! X'
The good news is a far cry from her her distressing experience five years ago, when violent ex-boyfriend Lynch raped Katie and held her captive in a London hotel for eight hours.
But his revenge for being rejected seemingly knew no bounds and two days later, under his direction, accomplice Stefan Sylvestre threw a cup of industrial-strength sulphuric acid in her face.
The attack on a London street melted her face, blinded her in one eye and left her with horrific burns.
Rushed to the burns unit of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Katie was showered with tap water for ten hours as medics fought to neutralise the effect of the acid on her skin and prevent further damage.
Eye drops were also administered every few minutes to try to wash the acid away.
But her injuries were unimaginable. The left side of Katie's face was burned away to the fat layer - the only thing beyond it was muscle and bone.
She lost the sight in her left eye and acid also dripped down her neck, ears and hands as well as slipping into her nose and throat, with further terrible consequences.
For more than a year she had to be fed through a tube in her stomach and surgery to dilate her oesophagus. In total, she has endured more than 40 operations since the attack.
As well as the physical damage, the attack left Katie fearful of going out in public and her self-esteem was at had all time low as she hated seeing her scarred face, which she had to cover with a protective mask for two years.
In May 2009, Lynch and Sylvestre were told by the judge that they were 'the face of pure evil'.
Both were jailed for life and Lynch will serve a minimum of 16 years.
Face of beauty: Katie was recently spotted taking part in the shooting for the new M & S campaign
Leading lady: Katie (pictured left) in the M & S shoot alongside Nicola Adams, Tracey Emin, Ellie Goulding Helen Allen, Monica Ali, Grace Coddington, Helen Mirren, Laura Mvula and Karen Elson
Katie, from Andover, Hampshire, has since bravely rebuilt her life and turned her experience into something positive.
She has won widespread support for her series of thought-provoking documentaries for Channel 4, written three books about her experience and has won awards - including Woman of the Year in 2011 and a Pride of Britain award.
She has also set up her own charity, The Katie Piper Foundation, to help other burn victims receive medical and emotional support.
Recently, Katie was also revealed as one of the new stars of the Marks & Spencer campaign, appearing alongside actress Helen Mirren and British female boxing champion Nicola Adams.
Now Katie can turn her attentions to her newest role - becoming a mother for the first time.
Before and after: Katie had been an aspiring model before the attack in 2008, which left her with horrific burns
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