"Having run a successful business, my looks have always been important to me. I know that first impressions count.

In October, 1999, I was on an express train when it smashed head-on into another train that had just left Paddington. The impact created a massive fireball inside my compartment. I was left with full thickness burns to my face, hands and legs and was unconscious for three weeks. 33 people were killed and more than 400 injured.

The medical team at the Charing Cross Hospital saved my life and the treatment involved major surgery, long-term burn care nursing, physiotherapy and psychological help. Recovering from horrific injuries, I wore a Perspex mask to help reduce the scarring. For the first 12 months I had to wear it 23 hours a day. It was incredibly uncomfortable but it worked.

My face was restored with great care by consultants. 22 skin grafts helped to give me as normal a look as possible. I have lost some movement in my hands and will have to wear artificial fingernails for the rest of my life. I have plummeted the depths of despair; I know I will never look like I used to."