Celebrities Who Got Tattoos When They Were In A Relationship And Had Them Removed After The Break-Up
When it comes to tattoos, celebrities are often a muse for others who may want some ink-spiration of their own. However, celeb tattoos are also an example of what not to do while in a relationship, no matter how solid the world thinks they may be together. From proclaiming their love through their ink to showing the world that getting a relationship tattoo may not be the smartest thing, these celebs made some decisions while in the heat of the moment and unfortunately, paid the price by having those tattoos altered later on in life. Let’s take a look!
Pete Davidson
Aside from his stint on Saturday Night Live and recently engaged to singer Ariana Grande, Pete Davidson is known for his tattoos. He recently had to cover up his arm ink dedicated to ex-girlfriend Cazzie David.
His tattoo artist, Jon Mesa, even told Davidson to chill out with the girlfriend tattoos, telling Page Six, “I told Pete, ‘Hey, dude, let’s just stop with the girlfriend tats until after [Ariana's] your wife,’” he recalled saying. “Because relationships come and go, and Pete is a really young man. [But] I think that went in one ear and out the other.”
Carson Daly
Carson Daly has many impressive and meaningful tattoos, but one was altered to remove actress Jennifer Love Hewitt’s name.
"The crab was tattooed on top of the name of an ex-girlfriend. I was getting another tattoo at the time, and so I asked if they could just black out the name. So my tattoo artist had an idea, so I let him do whatever he wanted. My leg was up so I couldn't see it and an hour later when I finally looked at my leg, I asked him what it was. He said, 'It's a crab claw coming out of a pocket knife,' and I just said 'Perfect, thanks!'"
Mel B
Spice Girl, Mel B, underwent a procedure to remove ex-husband Stephen Belafonte’s name that said, "Stephen, till death do us part you own my heart" on her side. Their 10-year marriage ended after the singer shared that Belafonte abused her.
"I wanted the tattoo removed to help close the final chapter on a toxic relationship,” Brown shared. “Even though I’ve taken the steps to remove Stephen’s name from my body, the domestic abuse will forever remain with me."
Adrienne Bailon
While it’s common to get a significant other’s name tattooed and then removed from visible parts of the body, what happens when you have to get something removed from those private areas? Adrienne Bailon shared that it took three tries to get Rob Kardashian’s name successfully removed from her butt.
The former Cheetah Girl had Rob’s full name tattooed on her backside, and in her case, one laser treatment faded it into a fuzzy blur, making it difficult to fully remove.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie had her tattoo dedicated to ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton erased as good as her public image back in her wild days. After their divorce in 2003, Jolie removed the tattoo of his name from her left arm, but she replaced it with something better.
Dedicated to her children, Jolie’s tattoo consists of the coordinates of her globe-spanning family’s birthplaces – a rather innovative and sentimental way to remove one chapter while beginning another. Let this be a lesson that you can never go wrong with a child’s name marked on your body forever.
Denise Richards
The union of Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen was a rough one, but clearly, they should have thought twice about getting ink dedicated to one another. The couple tattooed each other’s names on their bodies in 2002, but divorced five years later, both regretting the ink.
It’s always important to turn all things negative into a positive, so that is what Richards did, turning her ankle tattoo dedicated to Sheen into a beautiful, colorful fairy. If that’s not empowering, we don’t know what is.
Charlie Sheen
Following his divorce from Denise Richards, actor Charlie Sheen had his tattoo of her name changed to his famous catchphrase, “Winning,” complete with quotation marks to make the entire situation seem ironic. *insert eye-roll* Clearly, some people do not learn from their mistakes.
Turns out, Sheen got the tattoo removed at the request of his then-fiancée Brooke Mueller, but we all know how that turned out.
Kat Von D
While most celebs get something small dedicated to a significant other, Kat Von D went all out for Jesse James; a rather brave move for an on-again, off again relationship. But, she is a tattoo artist, after all.
In honor of her love at the time, Von D got a portrait of James as a young boy tattooed on her ribcage. Though she vowed to keep it after the couple broke up for the last time in 2011, the Miami Ink star decided to get rid of the tattoo a year later. To be fair though, that thing was kind of creepy.
Heidi Klum
The breakup of model Heidi Klum and singer Seal shocked the world, but we’re sure Klum never imagined having her tattoo removed of his name after eight years of marriage. After their divorce in 2012, Klum began the process of healing and the removal of the tattoo – no doubt a painful process all around.
After undergoing a few treatments, Klum is now Seal tattoo-free, but the ink isn't completely gone. The tattoo also had the initials of her children with stars, which ultimately stayed intact.
Eva Longoria
Photo: Getty/WireImage
After Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria celebrated her marriage to basketball star Tony Parker, she marked the occasion with three tattoos dedicated to her new hubby. The first, a giant “NINE” on the back of her neck, was a reference to Parker’s jersey number; the second, a small “07-07-07” on her wrist, was the day the couple wed.
The third, Parker’s initials, is hidden somewhere on her body. After they divorced in 2010, Longoria waited two years to get them all removed.
Melanie Griffith
There’s nothing more heartbreaking than watching two of your most beloved stars get divorced. Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas were one of the hottest couples of the '90s. Griffith even had “Antonio” tattooed on her arm in a heart to show her love for her then-husband.
When the couple split in 2014, she removed his name from the heart, possibly making room for a new love interest to fill that spot? The star sported the empty heart at the 2014 Italian Film Festival.
Johnny Depp
Quite possibly one of the worst (and most famous) tattoo alterations in celeb relationship tattoo history, Johnny Depp had “Winona Forever” emblazoned on his right shoulder during their relationship in the early '90s.
Clearly (and sadly) that sentiment was not prophetic. In 1994, after the couple split, Depp had the last two letters of Ryder’s first name removed, creating a “Wino Forever” motto. He then told Playboy that the tattoo was “actually a bit more accurate.”
Kaley Cuoco
We’re sure you’re all already aware of this, but let these celeb mistakes be a lesson in what not to do! The Big Bang Theory actress Kaley Cuoco is living proof. The star marked the date of her wedding to ex, Ryan Sweeting on her back.
In an Instagram post, Cuoco documented her updated body art, stating, “Note to self — do not mark your body with any future wedding dates.” Her new art appears to be an insect with specific symbolism. “The deep, meaningful, larger than life meaning behind this beautiful piece of ink, is … It covered the last one,” she captioned.
Heather Locklear
We all know actress Heather Locklear for her stint on the '90s hit drama, Melrose Place. Some may even remember her time with actor David Spade back in the 90s.
Turns out, Locklear got a “Finch” tattoo on her ankle, a reference to Spade’s famous character on his hit TV sitcom, Just Shoot Me. While most of the tattoo is still intact, only the “Finch” part got removed, and quite well might we add.
Keith Urban
We all know that Australian country star Keith Urban is married to – and madly in love with – wife Nicole Kidman, but turns out the rocker was linked to model Niki Taylor and they both had matching tattoos!
Displaying the term “Amor Vincit Omnia,” translating to “Love Conquers All” in Latin, might sound like a better choice compared to most stars getting their bodies inked with their lover’s names. Urban eventually decided to cover the tattoo with flames when he got together with Kidman, a possible homage to her fiery nature.
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner is famous for her antics and of course, being “self-made,” but when it comes to relationship tattoos, Jenner is no stranger. We all know how her relationship with Tyga went, including the cute ankle tattoo she got in honor of her love for him.
While Jenner went simple with a small lowercase “t,” in honor of Tyga, she has now altered it to read “la,” a possible homage to the city that she calls home and quite possibly the best alteration of a relationship tattoo we’ve seen.
Amber Rose
Amber Rose is known for her killer, distinctive look, and unfortunately some of her relationships. The model/actress and mother has officially moved on from her ex, rapper Wiz Khalifa, whom she split from in 2014.
Rose recently opted to cover up the tattoo of the rapper’s face on her left arm with an all-time favorite rock legend, Slash. Before that, she was covering the tattoo of his face with roses. In times like this, it’s always good to be savvy and innovative.
Nick Carter
Backstreet Boys star Nick Carter won’t always have Paris. In 2004, after his breakup with Paris Hilton, the singer got a skull and crossbones tattoo to cover up the “Paris” tattoo he got on his wrist in honor of his then-girlfriend.
The pair dated for seven months, but they split just three weeks after the Backstreet Boy got his tattoo. But does he regret the ink? “No, (I don’t regret the tattoo) because I love (Paris),” he said. “She’ll have a place in my heart always.”
Rihanna
Is there a warrior stronger than Rihanna? During her relationship with Chris Brown, the singer got a tattoo of a small cluster of stars on the back of her neck and had one that matched. Since the breakup, she had added more stars, proving that it’s always best to add a positive to a negative.
The singer has over 20 tattoos and had admitted they are becoming quite the addiction. “I like hanging out in tattoo shops. I am so intrigued by tattoos. It’s an entire culture, and I study it. Sometimes I go with friends, or just by myself. I get bum-rushed, but I don’t care. I don’t take security.”
Marc Anthony
Celebrity breakups are often painful for fans to watch, especially the divorce between singer Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez.
Anthony’s wrist tattoo of “Jennifer,” in honor of his then-wife Lopez, was pretty much buried with an elaborate, swirly cover-up that we’re not quite sure what to make of. If we’ve learned anything throughout this tattoo journey it’s that nothing is permanent…except a little alteration when things tend to go south.
