A woman whose body is 70 per cent covered by tattoos claims she has lost work and gets followed round shops by security guards - while she loves a lot of her ink she regrets some choices
A woman says she gets followed around supermarkets by security guards because of her ink-covered body. Round Security Mirror
Actor Sarah Hutchinson claims she is often mistaken for a criminal when out and about as 70 per cent of her boy is covered in tattoos. Sarah, who starred in ITV's The Cabin, got her first tattoo - "4ever in my heart" - on her wrist when she was 15, and reckons she has spent around £7,000 on tattoos since.
The 29-year-old claims she has lost work due to her ink obsession. Colleagues apparently tell her the artwork - which covers her arms and legs - is intimidating and people assume she's "mean".
Sarah said: "I think they're still associated with bad behaviour, and being stupid or idiotic - people pair that with criminal. I was in Marks & Spencer at summertime, wearing shorts and a top. I was walking round, trying to find something for lunch, when my girlfriend said that the security guard was following me.
"I purposely walked round the aisles to see if he was - and he was. I said to him 'I will steal something if you keep watching me'. I'm really used to it - sometimes I'm oblivious to it and it's my partner that points it out. It sounds mad in this day and age but I get stared at pretty much everywhere I go. I'm not stealing - I'll swing the bag and show them I'm not stealing."
Although the personal trainer and musician loves a lot of her ink, she wishes she could turn back time on a few decisions. Sarah says her hand tattoos of a star, a moon and the word 'why' are her biggest regret.
The TV star has an ex's name tattooed her wedding ring finger - but says it's too painful to remove. This is proving to be an issue in her current relationship, as Sarah says her girlfriend won't marry her while it's still there.
The ink lover from Ancoats, Manchester, reckons repairing or covering up "shoddy" work will cost her £1500. Her top tips to others include never booking an artist who costs less than £350 a day. She also recommends waiting at least three months after picking a design, before having it inked.
Sarah's tattoos include a cover-up of five friend's names which she got on a night out. "I had five names tattooed on my bum in a list and I've had them covered now, but you can still sort of see it through the cover up," she said.
She continued: "They were my best mates names, and I was 18. I got a sixth name from someone I met one night in Magaluf and I never spoke to them again - so that was probably a dumb move!" Her other tattoos include sea-themed ink, including a bottle with the words 'Not all who wander are lost', and ancient Egyptian murals which she says she doesn't regret.
"There's a lot I don't regret, it's just the bad artistry and the one I got as a kid that I do. I wouldn't have them all removed if I could, just corrected."
Sarah is hoping to get a black out skeleton tattoo on her two hands in the next few months to repair some tattoo work she had done. She added: "My hand's are my biggest regret - they're a bit scruffy and I'm currently in the process of getting them covered. They're not really bad, but they're just a bit shoddy."
She continued: "I have one of my ex-girlfriend's names tattooed on my wedding ring finger. I've tried to have it removed but it was too painful so I have a blurry name now. My girlfriend said she will never marry me until its fully removed but it hurts too much to get it removed - so I guess we will never get married.
"I have a moon and a star, and next to that I have the word 'why'. I ask 'why' I did it. Now I'm booked in for blacked out skeleton fingers so it will be the image of the bone through the finger because that’s the only tattoo that will cover it."
Her advice to people considering tattoos is to "pick a design and wait a minimum of three months before you get it". She added: "I have a lot of shoddy work. I went to cheap people and so I have a lot of crappy artwork on me that I'm getting fixed.
"They have to have a decent waiting list. If they have walk-ins they are bad. Anything less than £350 a day will be bad."
Do you have a story? Get in touch via Lucy.Marshall@reachplc.com.
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