Britain's most tattooed man almost loses arm after skin begins to rot
An actor dubbed 'Britain’s most tattooed man' has given up ink for a full year to pay £36,000 of his mortgage — and will have to remove a 'risky' implant which almost cost him his arm.
King of Ink Land King Body Art The Extreme Ink-ite, formerly known as Mathew Whelan, has regularly hit the headlines for being covered head to toe in tattoos. The 44-year-old revealed his plans to give up his body modification addiction in order to pay of his £66,000 mortgage in full. A year on, he remains ink free and has cleared almost £36,000 of the debt.
But he will now have to undergo a few corrective procedures from implants he received years ago - with one posing a significant risk to his health. An implant in his hand has left him with a 'slightly deformed' arm which at one point began to rot and was at risk of amputation.
King Of Ink Land, from Birmingham, said: “Unfortunately, the skin has worn thin on one side and I’m concerned it could tear. I don’t want to be in a medical situation again like I was with my knuckle duster implant a few years ago. Again, the skin tore, but then it began rotting and filling with plasma which needed to be drained multiple times. I still have a scar and it’s [my arm] slightly deformed, but this was removed in time before I was at serious risk of blood poisoning.
King of Ink Land has cleared almost £36,000 of his mortgage by going ink free (Jam Press/@king_b0dy_art)“I can’t have that happen again, as it almost cost me my arm, and this was going a similar way – so I’ve made the tough choice to remove this ‘crown’ implant too before it’s too late. Also people are amazed and shocked when they see my implants and think they have the automatic right to touch it. It’s really not cool – and it’s something I won’t miss when it’s gone. I’ve managed to go a whole year without being tattooed too and it doesn’t even feel strange. It’s not something I deeply crave or lust after anymore.”
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King Of Ink Land, who goes by Body Art for short, says he’s spent over 1,500 hours under the needle, setting the record in February 2016 when 36 tattooists worked on him at once. While he hasn’t kept track of the total cost to date, he says his recent hiatus has allowed him to pay £36,000 towards his mortgage.
He said: “My rate is jumping by quite a lot soon, but I’m on course within my budget. I’m coming off a fixed rate like so many other people, but hopefully I’ll be able to get this fixed again in future – thanks Conservatives for crashing the economy – roll on the general election.
The man, now named Body Art, will now have to undergo a few corrective procedures from implants he received years ago (Jam Press/@king_b0dy_art)“I’m trying to stay reserved and disciplined to my budget plan so I can get this paid off. I want to be mortgage-free in the next three years, and I’ll be happy to have that out of the way and done. It’s life, and priorities change, so when it’s paid, an ink session will feel much more special.”
Since he developed an interest in body modifications at the age of nine, he has stained his eyes black, had his nipples removed, his ears shaped and his name changed.
The 44-year-old 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. My last inking was the start of blackout style and I don’t intend on doing much of this, but tattooing is a personal art collection for me. I want to be able to evolve and change them if I want to and then, I’ll get blackout, and put another ink over the top to achieve my end goal.”
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