Carrie Underwood has shocked fans over fears that she might be left visibly physically deformed after damaging her face in a nasty fall outside her home in Nashville in November. After having several stitches, she reveals that she just doesn't know what's on the other end of the healing process.

Carrie Underwood at the CMA Awards showCarrie Underwood at the CMA Awards show

She's got one of the most stunning faces in the world of country music, but this American sweetheart might be scarred for life after a fall on some outdoor steps left her with a broken wrist and 'gruesome' facial injuries that required quite a lot of stitches. 

'When I came out of surgery the night of my fall, the doctor told Mike [her husband] that he had put between 40 and 50 stitches in', she said in a statement on the fan club section of her website. 'I haven't been ready to talk about [it] since I have still been living it and there has been much uncertainty as to how things will end up... It's crazy how a freak random accident can change your life.'

It's been seven weeks and the 34-year-old is still healing, but those 'uncertainties' include the state of her face in the future as she admits that at the moment she's 'not quite looking the same'.

'When I am ready to get in front of a camera, I want you all to understand why I might look a bit different', she warned her fans. 'I'm hoping that, by then, the differences are minimal, but, again, I just don't know how it's all going to end up.'

More: Carrie Underwood cancels benefit concert appearance after a bad fall

Regardless of whether or not her facial injuries will leave a permanent trace, the singer is thoroughly thankful that she is otherwise healthy. 'I am grateful that it wasn't much, much worse', she said. 'I am grateful for the people in my life that have been there every step of the way.'