Katie Piper has spoken about what inner strength means to her in a video filmed behind-the-scenes at a photoshoot, where she was joined by five women who had themselves shown great resilience in life.
The mum, who is now a best-selling author and TV presenter, spoke to the women on-set at the shoot for Special K Nourish before they each presented an item they felt brought them inner strength.
The women involved in the shoot were:
* Sarah Richardson – a highly spiritual person who overcame breast cancer and used Yoga to help her focus on getting better. Sarah came with her collapsible hula-hoop that she uses when “feeling a little collapsed myself”.
* Jenny Donaldson – who, in 2011, became one of only a few black female senior police offers in her force. Jenny attended the shoot with a poem given to her by her mother when she first started her career 32 years ago.
* Tia Campbell – Tia was driven to follow her passion for photography after her mum fell ill. She brought her camera, which she believes helps her to remain calm.
* Jennie Wilson – who set-up the Abram Wilson Foundation after her husband passed away. Jennie’s item was her late husband’s trumpet, which reminds her of the hard work and dedication that he put into his craft.
* Nadine Davis – a young gay woman who had to fight to be herself having come under fire for how she looked and dressed. Nadine’s item was her hair-clippers, which she says reminds her that living as she does is important.
As part of the campaign, a poll of 2,000 people revealed Jessica Ennis and Angelina Jolie to be the women whom the British public believe have the most ‘inner strength’.
27 per cent said actress and philanthropist Angelina Jolie was the woman who most women looked up to for their inner strength, alongside gold-medal-winning heptathlete Jessica Ennis.
Others who scored highly were Katie Piper (22%) and war survivor Malala Yousafzai (22%).
According to the public, the qualities that best characterise inner strength are being resilient, overcoming adversity and keeping calm in difficult situations.
JK Rowling and Paralympian Tanni-Grey Thompson both attracted the votes of 25 per cent of the public.
However, some household names fared less well. Hillary Clinton scored a surprisingly low 9 per cent, while her fellow American Oprah Winfrey got 21 per cent. Former X Factor judge Cheryl scored just 1 per cent despite overcoming adversity on numerous occasions in the press, but Gail Porter nabbed 16 per cent.
The British public also felt Caitlin Jenner (4%) had shown more inner strength than Kardashian family matriarch and ex-wife Kris Jenner (2%).
When polled as to the age they felt the most inner strength, the average response from women was 36, who also felt that inner strength continues to grow with age. However overall, one fifth (22%) said they lacked inner strength ‘a lot of the time’.
Special K Nourish ambassador, Katie Piper, said: “Personally, I get my inner strength from being a mother. Becoming a mum changed me in so many ways and I draw strength from my daughter as I watch her develop each day and the joy and challenges that come along with that. I have spoken to many women and they all get their strength in different ways, it could be that sense of victory when you stand up for yourself in a meeting at work, helping someone else through a tough time or celebrating a friend’s success. Maybe if we all celebrate the different things that make us feel strong, we can unlock a little more strength in each other.”
When asked about areas of life where they lacked strength, women were more likely than men to worry about asking for a pay rise (11% vs 9%) or handle criticism (26% vs 14%).
Those polled said the keys to maintaining and building your inner strength were looking after your mental health (54% said it was vital), family bonds (37%) and fitness and eating well (34%). Just 14 per cent said the financial backing of a job was important.
Special K Nourish spokeswoman, Louise Thompson-Davies, said: “Women like Katie Piper, Angelina Jolie and Jessica Ennis have shown remarkable inner strength in their lives to become successful role models who everyone can look to for inspiration.
“For years, Special K has been a partner to women but we know women have changed so we’ve changed too. Inner strength means something different to each individual and is more important than ever. In fact, we know from research it’s just as important as happiness, and more important than beauty. Yet women are united in wanting more of it. Special K Nourish is designed to help women feed their inner strength and we’re encouraging women to share their stories of strength on our facebook page.”
Top Ten Women Who Show The Greatest Inner Strength
1 – Jessica Ennis
2 – Angelina Jolie
3 – JK Rowling
4 – Tanni-Grey Thompson
5 – Dame Ellen MacArthur
6 – Malala Yousafzai
7 – Katie Piper
8 – Oprah Winfrey
9 – Aung San Suu Kyi
10 – Tina Turner
