Lauren Scruggs' First TV Interview: 'It Gets Better, God Is In Control' (VIDEO)
Lauren Scruggs, the fashion blogger and model who almost lost her life after walking into a live plane propeller, broke her silence on Thursday during her first televised interview on the "Today" show.
The 24-year-old devout Christian opened up about her road to recovery after losing her left eye and hand in the Dec. 3 accident, and she says that experiencing such a tragedy only reinforced her faith.
"Spiritually, I've just learned to live by faith and not by sight,'' Scruggs told "Today's" Savannah Guthrie in London. "Even though I've lost my left eye, I've just realized that the Lord has a strong purpose in it, and I need to use that.''
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Scruggs, who once worked in the wardrobe department of the hit TV show "Gossip Girl," suffered horrific injuries to her face and body after she had finished riding in a single-engine plane to get an aerial view of Christmas lights with a friend.
Her parents, Jeff and Cheryl, regularly praised God for their daughter's recovery in various posts on her personal blog after the accident. Scruggs herself believes that the accident was simply a part of God's plan for her life journey.
"I'm feeling good. I think physically, it's good that I'm off all my pain meds and all medication and haven't had pain since January, so that's a blessing. Emotionally, days are hard sometimes, just accepting the loss of my eye and hand, but it just gets better and I realize God's in control of my life and there's a purpose to this story," Scruggs said.
In March, Scruggs, a native of Texas, reached a private settlement agreement with the plane's insurer, Aggressive Insurance Services. While she is now able to begin putting the accident behind her, Scruggs agreed to partake in a televised interview to discuss her progress in which she explained this decision.
"I just know that a lot of people have been following the story and even photographers trying to get photos,'' she said. "It's just good to be out in public just as I am and letting people know I'm doing OK and healing up.''
Scruggs, a fan of gold medal-winning Gymnast Gabby Douglas, is currently in London taking in the Olympics and 16-year-old Douglas stopped by during Scruggs' interview to meet her fellow Christian.
"I think Gabby is a real inspiration to me,'' Scruggs said. "Just her spirit is so sweet and just how she professes her faith.''
