Man whose body is '90% covered in ink' claims he was hidden by boss because of tattoos
Many Brits have accumulated a few tats here and there over the years, but it's clear there's one bloke who has taken his body modifications to a whole new level.
A 43-year-old man whose body is '90% covered in ink' has claimed he was hidden by his boss due to his gnarly ink.
Matthew Whelan, also known as King Of Ink Land, opened up about his alternative look and why he thinks it has impacted his professional life so much.
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King, who hails from Birmingham, has revealed he's faced workplace discrimination when working at his job at a call centre.
The bloke, commonly referred to as 'Britain's most tattooed man', currently has more than 300 tattoos all over his body and has alleged he was hidden from management during an 'office reshuffle' because of his heavily tattooed appearance.
He told the Daily Star back in 2022: "You bring ultimate restrictions upon yourself by looking different. That's not just alternative people.
"Basically the reason why you won't get a job is not that you look totally different, it's because people won't give you a job."
King went on to say the reason for this 'also depends on what the industry is and their dress code'.
"I think a dress code should just be that - clothing," he stated, before revealing: "This appearance, this extreme alternative look can restrict people and has restricted me in the past, even when I've been in employment.
"I got shuffled around from one office to another when I was working in a call centre. The managers were coming up so they decided to have a move around in the office."
He went on: "The person they got to move was me. I got shifted from one end of the office down to the bottom when the managers come up."
However, it seems the alleged workplace discrimination hasn't got King down as he has since carved himself a career in various acting roles - one of which includes a character in BBC's Doctors.
But, given his extreme look, King has found himself typecast in prisoner roles, explaining: "I'm not gonna pop up in Downton Abbey as an actor, am I?
"Unless having an alternative scene or someone's tripping out or something I suppose."
Now that would be a good watch.
While he has been in a few programmes, King has been given a 'stereotypical role' which is 'usually prisoners'.
Despite mixed reactions to his tattoos, the bloke has said he wouldn't change a thing as he gets to enjoy his life as a 'living work of art'.
Rhiannon Ingle