OfficialKingBodyArt/FacebookBritain’s most tattooed man has said ‘shallow’ women don’t go for him and instead opt for men with ‘Love Island-type’ bodies.
The 39-year-old, who changed his name from Matthew Whelan to *deep breath* King of Inkland King Body Art The Extreme Ink-ite, or Body Art for short, has spent around 800 hours of his life getting tattoos covering over 90 per cent of his skin.
He got his first ink done when he was 16 years old and has since amended numerous parts of his body, including dying the whites of his eyes, having his nipples removed, splitting his tongue in half and having ‘bite marks’ carved in to his ears.
Body Art told UNILAD his love of tattoos stemmed from a love of art when he was younger and explained his body is now ‘a personal collection of [his] own art’.
As he nears 40 years old the tattoo enthusiast is looking to settle down with a partner but since his last relationship ended two years ago he ‘[hasn’t] had much luck finding love’.
The 39-year-old explained to the Daily Star he’d had between 15 and 20 relationships in the past, though he added how now women only sleep with him if they are fascinated about his appearance.
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Posted by King Of Ink Land King Body Art The Extreme Ink Ite on Saturday, June 15, 2019
Speaking to UNILAD, Body Art said:
I’ve had a number of causal encounters but nothing serious. I just find that women aren’t really into wanting to commit, or they’re happy to come to some high profile events which I’m lucky to attend but then they no longer wish to know.
Although he had a ‘very active social life’, Body Art implied a lot of women are only interested in men with more toned bodies such as those seen on Love Island.
He told UNILAD:
You don’t often see many ‘dad bods’ or people with a lot of body modifications on these shows.
He added he’d started getting more attention since he got his tattoos, one of which displays the words The Jeremy Kyle Show on the back of his head, though that wasn’t always a good thing.
Speaking about the dating pool to the Daily Star, Body Art said:
A lot of women are really shallow and only go for guys with Love Island-type bodies. Then I get other women who are just interested in me because of my tattoos.
The 39-year-old also likened his artwork to Marmite, saying:
A lot of women are put off by my tattoos or it makes them really curious. I’m a bit like Marmite so you either like them or you don’t.
Body Art hopes to have a family in the future but he has admitted his body modifications may not be everyone’s cup of tea, as ‘people have a different perception of beauty and the perfect body’.
He said:
Put me on Take Me Out and I think most of the lights, if not all, would go out almost instantly because of my appearance.
The tattoo lover went on to explain he’s looking for someone who is ‘strongly opinionated’ with a ‘wicked personality’ who could challenge him.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.