About Catrin

Catrin Pugh is an inspirational speaker, visible difference advocate, model, and content creator whose life changed at 19 after surviving a catastrophic coach crash while working in the French Alps.

 

Sustaining burns to 96% of her body, she is one of the only adults in the world to survive injuries of this extent. Following months in intensive care and years of ongoing rehabilitation, Catrin rebuilt her life — learning to walk, use her hands again, and adapt to living with a visible difference, visual impairment, and limb difference.

 

Her recovery journey has now spanned over a decade and continues today.

 

 

Rather than being defined by what happened, Catrin has shaped a career rooted in purpose, impact, and lived experience.

 

Inspired by the people who supported her recovery — including healthcare professionals — she returned to education, completing a year at college before going on to study Physiotherapy at King’s College London, despite being told she would never be able to pursue that path. She graduated with a First Class Honours degree and went on to work as a Physiotherapist with The Katie Piper Foundation, supporting others navigating life after burns and trauma.

 

 

Alongside her clinical work, Catrin has spent the past 13 years as an ambassador for Changing Faces, using her platform to challenge perceptions and advocate for people living with visible differences.

 

Her work now spans speaking, media, modelling, and campaigns — collaborating with brands including Avon, appearing at London Fashion Week, and being featured in Vogue. She has also contributed to national conversations around visible difference across major news and media platforms.

 

 

At the heart of everything Catrin does is a clear purpose:
to improve understanding, shift perceptions, and create meaningful change for people living with disabilities and visible differences.

 

Her work is grounded in honesty, warmth, and real lived experience — whether she is speaking on stage, working with brands, or sharing content online.

 

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Today, Catrin works across speaking engagements, campaigns, media, and advocacy — partnering with organisations, brands, and charities to create impact through storytelling, representation, and connection.

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