Love isn’t forever but tattoos are, so the first commandment of getting inked is to never get your lover’s name tattooed anywhere on your body. Of course, celebrities rarely follow rules and many have wound up with body art regret after their relationships are over. Some have chosen laser tattoo removal or skin grafts, which are both very painful procedures. Others have gotten creative when it comes to masking their unwanted tattoos, reworking them into another design.
Whatever way coverup tattoos and tattoo removal methods famous people choose depends on how many and the size of their now regrettable tattoo, in addition to where it is on their body. A small reminder on the wrist of your quick nuptials - as in the case of Britney Spears’s tattoo - can be more easily removed than the large spread of ex-wife Mariah Carey’s first name, which Nick Cannon inked on his back.
Then there are those celebrities like Mark Wahlberg and Pharrell Williams, who view their many tattoos as youthful mistakes and have committed to the very painful process of going through medical treatments to have their ink disappear. Which other celebrities have had tattoos removed? Check out the before and after tattoo removal pictures below to find out!
Celebrities Who Said Goodbye to Their Tattoos,
Angelina Jolie
Jolie has various sexy tattoos, but one that Brad Pitt probabl ywouldn’t appreciate is the "Billy Bob" she had added to an existing dragon tattoo during her relationship with Billy Bob Thornton. That "BB" tat is now gone, replaced with the coordinates of her kids’ birthplaces.
Charlie Sheen
In the “right back at ya” column, Charlie Sheen vowed to then-new wife, Brooke Mueller to remove his 13 tattoos for her. He zapped off “Denise” and replaced it with his favorite moniker, “Winning.”
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera and music executive Jordan Bratman divorced in 2011, but her tattoo of his initials in Hebrew - Yud and Bet - didn’t start disappearing until 2013.
Denise Richards
Nothing like an acrimonious divorce to make you want to rip your skin off, especially if your ex’s name is tattooed on it. Denise Richards reworked the “Charlie” on her ankle into a fairy, following her split from Charlie Sheen.
Johnny Depp
It's a good thing Depp likes to drink wine, because when he and then-fiancée Winona Ryder broke up, he had to find a way to cover up her name on his arm. "Winona Forever" became the now famous "Wino Forever."
Katie Price
Former glamour model Katie Price literally crossed out her ex. During her relationship with her first husband, Australian singer Peter Andre, she had a large crown with his name tattooed on her wrist as a tribute. When he became her ex-husband in 2009, she simply tatted an X over his name.
Marc Anthony
When it comes to celebrities and their romances, the Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez relationship was one of the biggest gossip topics of the aughts. After their divorce in 2014, Anthony cleverly covered up his “Jennifer” wrist tattoo by redesigning it into another design.
Megan Fox
In a rare tattoo removal that doesn’t include an ex’s name or face, Megan Fox got rid of her Marilyn Monroe tattoo because Marilyn is “a negative character since she suffered from personality disorders and was bipolar. I do not want to attract this kind of negative energy in my life.”
Melanie Griffith
After almost 20 years of marriage, celebrities Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas split in 2015. After several sessions of laser surgery, Griffith finally got rid of the Antonio heart tattoo as well.
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams said he was “young and dumb” when he got his collection of tattoos. He's now in the process of removing by undergoing a skin graft procedure.