AJ Pritchard’s girlfriend Abbie Quinnen has revealed how therapy and support from acid attack victim Katie Piper are helping her recover from third-degree burns.
Abbie, 24, was badly injured when a TikTok stunt with Strictly’s AJ went wrong.
She said: “I’ve really struggled but therapy has made a huge difference – as has everyone’s support, including Katie Piper’s.
“She told me it was OK to feel angry and upset and everything else. She also told me that talking about what happened to her openly was a massive part of her recovery.”
AJ, 26, said: “I was very proactive about Abbie having therapy and I’ve seen the positive effect. I thought I should too.”
(Image: Dave Benett/WireImage)
Abbie has had three skin grafts since the accident in January. She has laser treatment every six weeks and still has to wear a compression suit for 23 hours a day.
Abbie, AJ and his brother Curtis, 25, all take part in the London Landmarks Half Marathon today to raise funds for Chelsea & Westminster Hospital burns unit. Ex-Love Islander Curtis said: “We are running with a brolly to protect her skin.”
The ‘life-hack’ conducted by AJ and Abbie was intended to show how the bottle could be transformed into a vase for their 1million social media followers.
(Image: ITV)
The set-up involved dousing a rope in a flammable chemical, then wrapping it around the bottle and setting it on fire – but the move left a terrified Abbie immersed in the flames.
The fire set her hair and clothes alight, leaving Abbie with third-degree burns and meaning she had to be rushed to hospital.
Abbie previously admitted she wanted to be alone following the accident, and wouldn’t even let AJ into her hospital room when doctors permitted her one visitor.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
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Suffering from trauma and flashbacks to the terrifying ordeal, she even decided she would move back into her mum’s house – but AJ later talked her round.
AJ later confessed to Abbie that it should have been him in her place, and that the guilt was eating away at him.
Abbie said she doesn’t blame AJ or Curtis for the accident, and praised their quick reactions when rushing her to A&E.
The couple first started dating in 2018, when Abbie appeared as a dancer on AJ’s tour.
During the star’s I’m a Celeb stint, Abbie revealed that AJ kissed his hat when he was thinking of her.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
