A man who has been dubbed “Britain’s Most Tattooed Man” reveals that he’s giving up the ink for good until he clears his mortgage – but a new furry friend is helping him through.
King Of Ink Land King Body Art The Extreme Ink-ite regularly hits the headlines due to his heavily inked look, where he says that the majority of his body is covered in colourful designs.
Previously, the 43-year-old revealed that his bank wouldn’t let him open an account due to his new legal name, which used to be Mathew Whelan, that he has had since 2008.
Now, the actor has revealed that he’s giving up his lifestyle choice in a bid to clear his £66,000 mortgage and says he hopes to pay off the amount over the next four years.
“Getting tattoos can be an addiction, however this is a lifestyle for me, which I can start and pause whenever I please,” King Of Ink Land, from Birmingham, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“I’m taking a break from being inked while I concentrate on clearing my mortgage, so I’ll be slowing down over the next few years.
“I might still get some ink every other year, but with interest rates going up, I hope to be mortgage free in four years.
“I have a budgeting plan in place and this means I’ll have to limit my lifestyle, but I’ll be happy to have that out of the way and done.”
King of Ink Land, who goes by Body Art for short, claims that he’s spent over 1,500 hours under the needle and set the record in February 2016 when he had 36 tattooists work on him at once.
While he hasn’t kept track of the amount it’s cost him to date, he claims his bank manager would have rathered the money was kept in an ISA, rather than on his skin.
Recently, he’s welcomed an English Bulldog, Mary, aged five, into his life, as he’s always “dreamed” of having his own dog.
And surprisingly, he foretold his pooch with a tattoo he got at aged 16 of a bulldog that resembles his real life furry friend.
He said: “My first ever tattoo has become reality.
“I’ve never had a dog before in my life, as I’ve always been more about exotic animals such as reptiles.
“But it has been quite strange that my first K9 also happens to be the same animal, features and all, that was also my first tattoo on this journey.
“Animals are much better than people, as they build a bond with you and become a family member very quickly.
“I’ve had snakes, rats, hamsters and turtles before, which I’ve also got tattooed on me.”
Since his interest for body modifications sparked at aged nine, he’s had his eyes stained black, his nipples removed, his ears shaped and lastly, his aforementioned name change to complete his goal.
He added: “I am living an abbreviation of my name, B Art, as I’m being art in my life no matter what others say or think of my tattoos.
“I last had ink put on me in January this year, where I got my left arm tattooed with black out to cover previous tattoos.
“They [the tattoos] are part of my journey and I will go on to evolve more at some point in the future – just not anytime soon.”
