Katie Piper sadly had to miss her daughter Belle's first birthday party this week after reportedly suffering complications following routine throat surgery. The 31-year-old TV star confirmed that she had been unable to attend the special event on her Twitter account, telling fans, "Thanks for all the birthday tweets for Belle! Unfortunately I'm in hospital but her dads tell me she's had a lovely party x." Katie was the victim of a horrific acid attack in 2008 by her ex-boyfriend and has had to undergo regular procedures ever since. She had been due to spend the day with her daughter and her fiancé Richard James Sutton, but had to remain in hospital after complications with surgery to widen her oesophagus, the Mail reports.
"Hoping tomorrow will be discharge day from hospital for me! 7 days without my daughter – feels so cut off," she later tweeted. Katie has had a busy 12 months, welcoming little Belle last March and getting engaged to carpenter Richard in December. And she couldn’t be happier. Shortly after their engagement, Katie and Richard – who goes by the nickname James – posed for a rare photograph together to show off her unique diamond ring. "He put an official ring on it," the bride-to-be wrote, before sharing a close-up of the band.
"It's everything I wanted and more," she wrote. "Thank you @lewismalka for designing such a beautiful and sentimental piece for me. Can't stop looking at what I used to class as my bad hand – not anymore :) #engagement #wedding." Katie proudly introducing her daughter exclusively in HELLO! last year. "People used to say to me, 'It's a love like no other', and I understand that now," she told the magazine. "She's so precious and I just feel so incredibly blessed to have her. She's our world.
"To meet and fall in love with James," she added. "A man I knew I wanted to have a baby with and who makes me feel so happy, and now to have Belle – it’s just amazing. Most of all I want her to be happy. I thought I knew, after all that happened to me, what happiness meant, but having Belle has shown me what true fulfilment is."