Tattoo artist Jay Hutton has seen some bad body art in his time, but nothing could have prepared him for the shockers featured on a smash hit TV show.
As one part of a talented trio of Tattoo Fixers, the 25-year-old came to the rescue of those who failed to think before they ink in a nine-part E4 series of the same name.
Turning disasterpieces into masterpieces, 'Gentle Jay', who runs Adrenaline in Ellesmere Port, said he met some interesting characters along the way.
He tattooed a poignant chest piece on a Royal Marine who’d had his leg blown off, which had left his Liverpool FC tribute missing a word and reading “You’ll Never Walk”.
And an avid Coronation Street star left the pop-up parlour with a portrait on his leg of Deirdre Barlow.
Jay said: “I see shocking tattoos on a daily basis, but filming Tattoo Fixers just took it to another level.
“Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did.
“And then when I thought nothing could shock me more, someone else would come in and completely blow me away.”
Jay landed the role as one of the UK’s fixer-uppers when examples of his work posted on social media caught the attention of producers.
Since then, his Twitter followers have rocketed from 7,000 to 58,000 as the programme smashed audience ratings records.
Speaking of his newfound fame, he said: “It’s crazy really. It’s weird seeing yourself on TV and having people recognise you.
“Filming the show has been amazing. I’ve really enjoyed it and the response has been phenomenal.
“The stories behind the tattoos can also be quite emotional. For a lot of people, it really does affect their confidence, particularly women who won’t wear certain items of clothing because they are too ashamed and embarrassed.
“It’s great being able to transform them into something they can proudly show off.”
Jay, along with fellow artists Sketch and Lou, have been signed up for another series, with filming set to start in October.
He added: “We’ve been told the first episode broke ratings records on E4 for its time slot, and as the series has gone on, more people have been tuning in, which is fantastic.
“It was great to find out another series was going to be made.”
Jay said his show highlights include tattooing Cheryl Cole’s face onto a superfan, and creating a portrait piece of a woman’s grandparents.
He also enjoyed the more 'random' tattoos, including the leg piece of Deirdre Barlow and a man’s tribute to his “chubby and ugly” friend, dubbed 'Chugly'.
“I’ve got no idea what’s in store for the next series but I’ve got a feeling it will be more shocking than the first,” he said.
“It’s been like a whirlwind since the show. I’ve been really busy in between running my own studio.
“I’ve got a few guest appearances lined up at a few clubs and bars before my holiday, then it will be back to filming season two.
“I always say good tattoos aren’t cheap and cheap tattoos aren’t good, so it’s really nice to be able to put them right and get rid of some of the bad body art that’s out there.”
Jay’s work has earned him plaudits from celebrities including boxing champions Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather.
After training at the New Skin studio in Belgrano, he has also had his work praised by RnB singer Ne-Yo and rap stars Travie McCoy, The Game and Pitbull.
Look at the tattoo Jay did for Coronation Street star Kym Marsh's son
