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Lauren Scruggs: I Never Thought Life Would Be This “Awesome” After Accident, Marrying Jason Kennedy

Her beautiful heart, indeed. Lauren Scruggs sat down with the Today show’s Savannah Guthrie, as well as Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb on Friday, Mar. 6, where she reflected back on her accident and how it’s brought her to a better place in life.

In 2011, Scruggs, a fashion journalist and model, lost her left eye and left hand to a plane propeller during a freak accident. After the trauma, the beauty struggled with her physical appearance as she recovered — a journey she details in her new book, Your Beautiful Heart.

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“I feel like the physical was stripped initially in a lot of ways,” Scruggs, 27, confessed to Guthrie, adding to Gifford and Kotb: “I had a fear of people viewing me differently.”

Ultimately, Scruggs learned that people look past physical flaws and “really just see you for your heart and your character.” She noted to Guthrie, “It’s such a strong message, and powerful message. It’s been a cool thing to observe for me.”

“I felt led to just share what I learned about beauty,” she continued on the Today show. “I think it’s just remembering where you foundation is and where your identity lies. I’ve been taught that, growing up in a faith-based family. I think this story mixed in with scripture, mixed in the message is really clear.”

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In 2012, Scruggs was interviewed by E! News’ Giuliana Rancic, and it was the model’s positive, glowing attitude that attracted the attention of Rancic’s colleague Jason Kennedy.

“Yeah, we owe her big,” Scruggs joked to Kathie and Hoda, as she and Kennedy married this past December in Irving, Tex. Gifford was one of the celebrity guests in attendance, along with Tony Romo, Giuliana and husband Bill Rancic, and more.

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Newlyweds Lauren Scruggs and Jason Kennedy enjoyed a romantic honeymoon beach stroll in Mexico on December 15, 2014.

Scruggs told Guthrie that three years ago, she would “not at all” have believed her current life with a loving husband and a second book.

“I think it shows that life is awesome,” she reflected. “It shows that through tragedy, there’s always a brighter side. I mean, life is better now, which is crazy, and I loved life before. I hope that brings hope to people.”

Watch her interview above!

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