Ill-advised ink! From Johnny Depp’s woeful Wino Forever to Ben Affleck’s forgettable Phoenix

It’s the age-old story, but not all of us have been brave enough – or indeed stupid enough – to share it from any place of experience. 

Be they on the face, fingers, knuckles or even feet, ill-advised tattoos have been a twentieth and twenty-first century mainstay ever since body art clambered across the class divide and became, well, fashionable. 

No longer the exclusive preference of sailors and fairground workers, tattoos have crossed social boundaries to become symbolic tributes to loved ones, to memorable places, past achievements and favourite family members. 

But with good comes bad, and the drunken Ibiza weekender, that regrettable mid-life crisis or the once-special someone you would frankly rather forget are worn with rather less pride. 

Just ask Pete Davidson – no sooner has he found space for some permanent dedications to girlfriend Kim Kardashian than he’s right back in the friendzone and questioning the logic in obtaining his latest tattoos in the first place. 

But who else has the self-inflicted cursed of questionable ink? Buckle up, MailOnline has the answers. 

1. JOHNNY DEPP 

It was supposed to last forever, but sadly Johnny Depp’s relationship with a 17-year old Winona Ryder lasted just four years before the couple – already divided by a nine-year age gap – finally went their separate ways.

Maddeningly, Depp had somewhat hastily branded his shoulder with a permanent dedication to the talented young actress – the words ‘Winona Forever’ inked within a crudely drawn heart – at the height of their romance.

Urgent action was needed, and the hellraiser did what anyone might do if faced with the same conundrum – he quickly abbreviated her name to the debatable, but perhaps more acceptable ‘Wino.’

One might question why a man of substantial financial means didn’t seek permanent removal, but Depp appeared pleased with the result and still bears his ‘Wino Forever’ tattoo to this day.

2. BEN AFFLECK

He’s won numerous awards in his own right, but if there was a Razzie for worst inking then Ben Affleck’s back tattoo would almost certainly be among the nominees.

The actor surprised fans by revealing an enormous Phoenix, apparently rising – as if from the metaphorical ashes of Affleck’s bottom – to his shoulders in a colourful arc of bright red, blue and yellow ink.

Affleck later insisted the tattoo was fake and had merely been acquired for a forthcoming role, but he soon changed his tune when confronted during an appearance on the Ellen Show.

Justifying the tattoo, he said: ‘It’s meaningful to me. I like it. It’s not something I sort of kept private. The sentiment ran against… but I love my tattoo, I’m happy with it.’

Let’s hope Jennifer likes it!

3. CHERYL

Anyone with a tattoo knows how painful they can be – and how long they take to heal – so there were winces all round when former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl showed off the floral design covering her entire bottom.

Taking to Instagram in 2013, the singer’s tattoo artist Nikko Hurtado posted a picture of the entire tattoo following a mammoth seven hour session – but admitted it was still very much a work in progress.

The pop star, who has always admitted to a love of body art, had only ever showed small parts of the black and red tattoo up to that point – and the painful looking end result suggested sitting down might be a problem, at least in the short term.

Discussing the tattoo with fans, she wrote: ‘I’ve had it for maybe 7-8 months, it was a long process but only just detailed it. I have personal meaning behind it but English roses are my favourite flowers.’

4. ED SHEERAN

When it comes to tattoos a misspelled word is the stuff of nightmares, something Ed Sheeran knows only too well.

The heavily-inked singer-songwriter was keen to reference one of his biggest hits, but was left with an incorrectly spelled tattoo courtesy of actress friend Saoirse Ronan.

The star, best known for her lead role in The Lovely Bones, purposely wrote ‘Galway GRILL’ instead of ‘GIRL’ while attempting to ink him in the track’s raucous accompanying video, which sees Ed enjoy a boozy tour of the Irish town.

Fortunately, the singer – whose entire body is covered in colourful tattoos inspired by his globe-trotting career – managed to see the funny side.

Addressing fans at a Glasgow concert in 2017, he said: ‘The tattoo actually says Galway Grill G-R-I-L-L. She really took the p*** outta me – full on.

‘I’m actually quite proud of her. It’s the kind of thing I would do.’

5. PETE DAVIDSON

The ink is barely dry, but Pete Davidson is already said to be regretting his hastily written tattoos for now ex-girlfriend Kim Kardashian.

The imprudent inkings – Kim’s Christian name, the initials of her children with Kanye West and the notorious line My Girl Is A Lawyer – have mysteriously disappeared following their split last August.

Saturday Night Live star Pete had commissioned the tattoos, direct references to the TV personality and her desire to work in criminal law, shortly after their unlikely romance went public.

But a recent appearance in Hawaii suggested he has wasted no time in visiting the laser surgeon, with every one of those questionable Kardashian tributes missing from his already heavily tattooed upper-body.

During their whirlwind relationship, the SNL alum had gotten various different tattoos related to the reality star.

Kim herself opened up about the not-so-special ink and the meaning behind some of his tattoos when she appeared on The Ellen Show last April.

‘Yeah, he has a few tattoos. A few cute ones that he got,’ she said. ‘I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s so cute,’ but that’s what tattoo people do, right? They get tattoos of what’s going on in their life.’

6. LOTTIE MOSS

Any self-respecting tattooist will tell you to think before you ink, but for some people the message just doesn’t sink in – and Lottie Moss appears to be a prime example.

One minute she has an unblemished face, the next she’s permanently marked with a bold facial tattoo – the single word ‘Lover’ – etched directly beneath her left eye.

The half-sister of supermodel Kate Moss is no stranger to body art, but one could argue her latest and most visible inking – the result of a drunken visit to a local tattoo studio – may well be a step too far.

Thankfully, the OnlyFans model has no regrets – at least not yet.

Speaking to Glamour, Lottie admitted the tattoo is a symbolic reference to her current state of mind following a tumultuous few years, during which she checked herself into residential rehabilitation.

‘Since rehab, I’ve been on a journey of self-discovery,’ she explained. ‘I’ve spent a lot of time in Bali, surrounded by nature, reading alone or spending time with like-minded people – and learning to love myself again while finally being free from my former life.

‘That’s why I decided to get my face tattoo; the word ‘lover’ under my eye. Yes, it was impulsive, but after years of being so controlled, it was my way of expressing that I am free. I’m no longer controlled.’

7. CHRIS BROWN 

There are some relationships you would frankly rather forget, and in Chris Brown’s case it may well be his explosive romance with Rihanna – even if he was the architect of its undeniably spectacular collapse.

The heavily tattooed singer hinted at a permanent reminder of his past misdemeanor by revealing the tattooed face of a beaten woman on his neck in 2012 – three years after he was charged with brutally assaulting the Bajan star.

The face structure, arched eyebrows and plump lips certainly bear a startling resemblance Rihanna, and the design has eerie echoes of the shocking picture that emerged of the We Found Love singer following Brown’s attack.

However sources close to Brown have insisted any similarities are purely coincidental, telling TMZ: ‘It’s a random woman.’

8. STEVE-O

His Jackass feats include being fired from a canon, becoming human bait for a school of hungry sharks and putting a blood-sucking leech onto his own eyeball.

But all that paled in comparison to Steve-O’s frankly bizarre decision to get an enormous portrait of himself tattooed across his back.

However the inking – complete with the message ‘Yeah dude I rock!’ – isn’t one of the extensively tattooed prankster’s biggest regrets.

Indeed, that dubious honour goes to the unconventional cover-up of a man having sex with an ostrich, located on his left bicep.

Speaking to LadBible, he admitted to getting the tattoo in a desperate bid to cover up what he describes as one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

‘It was 2006 and I was getting drunk with my buddies and we’re talking about how we never wanted to have kids – or at least I felt really strongly about it,’ he explained.

‘So I said OK, I’ll get a tattoo of a baby in a circle with a slash like a ‘No Babies’ sign. And we thought that was kinda funny, but we kept drinking and then I was like “oh no no no no, I’ll get ‘F*** Babies”.

‘But then I thought, “I don’t want to make people read more words, I’ve already got so many words”. And then I ended up going with an image of a guy f***ing a baby.’

He continued: ‘When I got that tattoo, I knew that I was crossing the line and that was the whole reason that I got it. This was my crazy stunt that I was doing.

‘But, as soon as I stepped foot outside of that tattoo parlour this couple was walking down and they were excited to see me and I’m going to show them – “check out my new tattoo”.

‘And they saw it and the look of f***ing horror on their face told me that I had actually made a serious mistake. We were filming Jackass number two at that time and I kept a bandanna tied around my arm to cover it up.’

He added: ‘I showed my buddy Bam Margera the coverup and he said, “you should turn that blob into an ostrich”.

‘And so we did. I got Bam to draw the ostrich and Kat Von D tattooed it and I thought this was like “problem solved.”‘

9. BROOKLYN BECKHAM

If you didn’t already know Brooklyn Beckham was married to Nicola Peltz, a cursory glance at his growing collection of tattoos might offer a strong hint.

At just 23-years of age, David and Victoria Beckham’s eldest child has already acquired an impressive number of inkings – with many devoted to his American wife.

Indeed, Nicola appears to serve as a muse of sorts, and Brooklyn is never short of permanent tributes to the well-heeled actress – the daughter of billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz.

Poems, names, quotes, even his wedding vows are among the hundred or more tattoos covering the aspiring chef’s body, but the most prominent can be found at the base of his neck.

Staring directly at anyone who appears to be looking, Nicola’s striking eyes have been inked above a lengthy personal message from the actress, reproduced between his shoulder blades.

Brooklyn previously admitted that more than 70 of his tattoos are in honour of his new wife.

The son of David and Victoria Beckham made the revelation following his latest addition that simply reads ‘married’ across the side of his hand.

He told USA Today: ‘I kind of was just like, ‘Oh, we’re married, why not? It wasn’t a thing I thought about for months. I got married five months ago, why not?’.

‘She always cries when I get her another tattoo, I always love to surprise her with new ink.’

10. KATIE PRICE 

It was a romance born in the Australian jungle during the 2004 series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

But five years and two children later Katie Price and Peter Andre ended their marriage – only to be left with some unfortunate reminders in the process.

Stuck with her former husband’s Christian name tattooed on her wrist, Katie made a swift visit to a local tattoo studio during a trip to Ibiza, weeks after confirming their separation.

As for Mysterious Girl star Pete, it seems nothing short of laser surgery removal would do to get rid of the ‘Katie’ tattoo on his wedding ring finger.

The singer had a series of treatments to erase the marking, with a source confirming: ‘He is having laser surgery and his tattoo is fading each time.’

Proving she’;s happy to make the same mistake twice, Katie has since covered hr body with tattoos – among them a portrait of on-off boyfriend Carl Woods’ face.

Will she regret it? Watch this space.