Inspirational fire attack victim Dana Vulin shows scars in first-ever pics and says ‘I’m not broken any more’

WHEN a jealous love rival burned more than 65 per cent of Dana Vulin’s body in a sickening attack, her life changed in the most painful way.

The assault fused her chest to her neck and left her in a coma for ten days.

For the next three years she had to wear a mask and compression suit covering all her body, 24 hours a day.

In her darkest moments, 30-year-old Dana  said she feared she would never be pretty again.

She turned to fellow burns  attack survivor Katie Piper for help to keep going.

Now brave Dana, who has just started living life without her mask and suit, says she feels sexier than ever.

And she  proves it by posing for our exclusive photo to show  the world her   scars for the first time.

She said: “It was nerve-racking showing off my scars, but I couldn’t be prouder of this photo. It shows just how far I have come.  I want people to  know I am not broken any more.

“I feel proud and sexy. This is my way of inspiring people to love the skin they are in, no matter what they look like.

In so much pain you wish you were dead

“I wouldn’t even want my old body back. I look at my tummy and I don’t call it my six-pack, I call it my scar-pack.”

Dana, from Perth, Australia,  tells how forming the bond with  Brit ex-model Katie helped her pull through. She said: “Her friendship has been a huge part of my recovery.

“If I get upset when people stare at my scarred body, I text Katie, knowing she will help me see the funny side.

“Katie is the only one who understands what it’s like to have your face burnt off.

“She knows what it’s like to be in so much pain you wish you were dead.

“Both of us were the blonde, pretty girls who overnight looked like modern-day Frankenstein’s monsters.

“There were days when I cried so much it felt like my eyes were bleeding. Now, just as with Katie, my scars are my strength and we are both using them to inspire others.”

Dana’s life changed for ever on February 16, 2012. Drug-crazed Natalie Dimitrovska became convinced Dana had been sleeping with her ex-husband Edin Handanovic, and broke  into her riverside flat to confront her.

Dimitrovska, who was later jailed for 17 years, doused Dana in methylated spirits and turned her into a  fireball.

Dana said: “The pain was excruciating. There were times when I wondered how much pain one person could deal with.”

But she battled back to health, undergoing  150 procedures over more than 30 months of surgery.

The   once   party-loving university graduate said: “I never thought there would be a day when I would look in the mirror and see the old Dana again. Suddenly I had no expressions on my face — you couldn’t see my mouth or my nose, only my eyeballs. But I was determined to feel strong. I didn’t want evil to win.”

It was four years earlier in March 2008 that Katie Piper’s   former boyfriend  arranged for another man to throw sulphuric acid in her face as she left her London home.

‘I wear my scars as a badge of honour’

The attack melted her nose, ear and eyelids, burned her mouth, tongue, arms, hand, neck and cleavage, damaged a lung and left her blind in one eye.

But Katie, 33, now a mother to 19-month-old Belle with husband Richard Sutton, has proven an inspiration to millions. Dana said: “Even before my attack I’d heard about Katie’s story and thought she was amazing. Then in hospital it dawned on me how many similarities there were.

“We were both 25 when attacked and both good-looking blondes.”

Dana says she was given an incredible boost when Katie followed her on Twitter, then shared a photo of her on Instagram and captioned the shot: “My #WCW (Woman Crush Wednesday) is @dana_vulin.”

The pair swapped numbers and are now in regular contact.

Dana said: “We are  both  determined not to let what has happened ruin our lives.  Instead we want to inspire people.”

Dana, who is now a motivational speaker, added: “I never want to cover my scars.  I wear them as a badge of honour.

“There are so many girls out there who have perfect bodies and still hate themselves.”

Last night, Katie said: “I admire everything Dana stands for. I work tirelessly through my charity The Katie Piper Foundation, to change perceptions of burns survivors.

“We have a long way to go but Dana is a great example as a survivor and not as a victim.”

Now Dana wants to find her ideal man  and start a family.

She said: “I want to find a man who loves me just the way I am.

“I feel sexy, confident and happy and  I know I will settle down now there is nothing holding me back.”