Woman who perpetrated acid hoax said she suffered from mental illness

It was an unbelievable attack that drew attention and donations from around the world. A young woman from Vancouver, Wash. claimed she was assaulted with liquid acid in 2010.

“Once it hit me, I could actually hear it bubbling and sizzling my skin,” said then-28-year-old Bethany Storro, as she sat in a wheelchair with her face wrapped in gauze.

Just two weeks after that press conference, she recanted the entire story. She had not been attacked by a stranger. She had burned herself.

Now, for the first time she is answering questions about the events that summer. She told ABC’s Good Morning America she suffered from an undiagnosed case of Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

“In the mirror, I saw a distorted monster,” recalled Storro.

She said she wanted to drink the acid in order to kill herself, but when it touched her face she couldn’t go through with it.

While she claims she never intended to lie about being attacked, Storro admitted she did enjoy the attention she received once the story got out.

Once her deception was discovered, she plead guilty to lying to police and spent one year at a mental-health treatment facility in Washington.

Now, she’s asking for forgiveness.

“I’m so sorry to everybody, I really truly am,” cried Storro.

At 30 years old, Storro has a new book out called “Facing the Truth.”