Looking in the mirror once brought back painful memories for Lisa Michell – but now she has every reason to smile.
The mum-of-two had burns on 30% of her body after a vat of flammable liquid overheated and exploded at a family barbecue, leaving her fighting for life.
But tonight viewers of TV makeover show 10 Years Younger in 10 Days will see her incredible transformation after she got in touch seeking help.
Lisa, 47, told the Sunday Mirror : “I feel like I’ve got some of the old me back, like something’s been reborn, The way the accident changed my looks was really hard.
“I felt I was mourning the loss of how I used to be. Every time I looked in the mirror it was a constant reminder.”
Lisa spent three weeks on life support in 2013 after the vat exploded in her face and set her on fire.
Her injuries were so bad that youngest son Ruan, now nine, initially refused to go near her.
Lisa, from Truro, Cornwall, said: “He wouldn’t let me cuddle him or anything the first time I saw him after.
“I hadn’t seen him and my eldest son Carne, who’s now 11, for five weeks. Ruan seemed scared of how I looked, he wouldn’t let me go near him.” The Channel 5 show’s experts gave Lisa an intensive 10-day makeover, tackling her scarring and disfigurement.
Viewers will see her smile restored with a lip tattoo and veneers, and she is given micro-needling to boost her skin’s collagen and elasticity to help the scarring.
Lisa is also given a make-up, hair and fashion masterclass.
She said: “It wasn’t about looking amazing, just looking a bit more like I used to.
“After the accident I just didn’t bother with my looks – I thought, ‘What’s the point of trying?’ It also felt shallow and self-indulgent and I should just be pleased to be alive.”
The former headteacher, who previously had skin grafts, had to retire early because of the constant pain and her struggle with walking due to the burns.
She reveals she would not be alive if husband Steve, 44, had not torn off her burning clothes. “He saved me,” she said.
Steve spent two weeks in hospital with burns to his hands. He said: “The transformation is incredible – she’s so confident, and radiating that. It’s great to see.”
- 10 Years Younger in 10 Days, C5, 8pm
