00:00I just classify it now as one full body shoot.
00:03I started face tattoos about six and a half years ago.
00:06It was down to my daughter being ill, and it was a coping mechanism for me.
00:09Today there's a make-up artist coming out who's going to cover my tattoos.
00:13I thought, well, you know what, why not? Why not?
00:15The make-up comes off, the tattoo's done, so there's no harm in doing that at all.
00:19It's more of an experience for the kids and for the family.
00:21It's just a bit of an eye-opener to how I could look if I decided to ever cover the tattoos up or get them removed.
00:27I'm apprehensive. I just don't know how I'm going to look and how I'm going to feel about how I look.
00:31Give daddy a cuddle. Come on, I'm still daddy.
00:33You make me sad. You make me sad. Come here.
00:38I forget that I've got these tattoos on my belly.
00:40I walk about, I forget that they're there.
00:42Sometimes I'll see myself in a reflection from a car or a shop window.
00:45That makes me remember when I'm coming in tattoos.
00:47I actually got my first tattoo done when I was 15.
00:49I actually still have it still on my back.
00:51Yeah, it was the start of the journey.
00:54I started face tattoos about six and a half years ago.
00:57It was down to my daughter being ill and it was a coping mechanism for me.
01:01It was a way to cope with her being in hospital and me still having to go to work and work a normal life.
01:06It was just a way of emphasising on being on the same sort of level as she was, going through the pain.
01:12She was in hospital with tubes all coming out of her mouth.
01:14All I wanted to do was take her pain away as her father.
01:17So my favourite tattoos would be the two on my back of both my daughters.
01:21My least favourite tattoo would probably be this one on the top of my arm.
01:24It's just misshaped. It's been covered up a couple of times and it's just out of place.
01:28But I'm still happy with it. It's part of the journey.
01:31As soon as I was getting any tattoo done, I'd just go in and write,
01:33OK, when's your next available date? Can you get me in again next week?
01:36I know I've had roughly about 87 hours on my head alone.
01:39I get a lot of different reactions.
01:41People seem to think that because I look how I do and because I have these sort of tattoos
01:45that I'm unemployable and I shouldn't be entitled to work.
01:48Now, I think that's ridiculous.
01:50I think it's just as normal as anybody else and I should be allowed to work
01:54and look after my kids and provide for my kids.
01:56Be in playgrounds when the kids are playing and I'm sometimes climbing up the slides
02:01and you have young kids up at the top waiting to come down
02:03and they're not expecting me, obviously, to pop my head up.
02:06And the faces they put, they're like, what?
02:08And they're back away from the slide and Jessica will go over to them and put her arm round them
02:12and be like, that's just my daddy. He's got tattoos.
02:14He may look scary, but he's not scary.
02:17And that's how she deals with that situation.
02:27Today there's a make-up artist coming out who's going to cover my tattoos.
02:30It's going to be the first time I've seen myself without tattoos in seven years.
02:33And not only that, but my daughter has never seen me in the flesh without tattoos.
02:37So it'll be a complete first for her along with the rest of the family.
02:41It'll be massive, massive for them all.
02:47Hello mate, how's it going?
02:48Nice to meet you, alright.
02:49Ready to do this?
02:50I certainly am. No time like the moment.
02:53So today we are doing a full camouflage on Chris.
02:57So we're going to be neutralising a lot of the tones that are creative,
03:01so the deeper tones, the blacks and stuff.
03:03Then build up some layers to then even out the complexion.
03:06And then we need to uneven the complexion and try to make it look a little bit more realistic.
03:13I feel like I'm hiding myself.
03:15Is there any tattoo you really regret?
03:18No, not at all, no.
03:20There's a few maybe I would eventually like to cover up or to black out completely, but no.
03:25Strange I have friends with much less tattoos but much more regrets.
03:29Is that right? Is that right?
03:30Holiday tattoos and stuff?
03:32Oh yeah, yeah.
03:34I can't even anticipate how I'm going to feel.
03:36I don't know, I just don't even know.
03:38I can't even get my head around it.
03:40It's just one of those things I'll find out.
03:46If you're ready to have a look at yourself?
03:49I think so, yeah.
03:50Are you nervous?
03:51Yeah, yeah, I have to be.
03:53Okay, let's do this.
04:00That doesn't look like me, I've got fur with the tattoos.
04:03Yeah, yeah.
04:05It's a good job on the makeup though, it is putting you in well, yeah, yeah.
04:09It's mad seeing myself without the tattoos there.
04:11It feels like it's somebody else's arms, it doesn't feel like they're my arms.
04:14It's brought the colour back in me because I didn't actually do the eyes.
04:17So it's definitely me there but just missing the tattoos.
04:21The new look will be revealed to Ruth and the three kids.
04:24Kayleigh, Jessica and Tima.
04:26I've seen Chris with no tattoos seven years ago when we first met.
04:30He only had a few on his arms and a few on his legs.
04:32My favourite tattoo is like the demon on the side of his head.
04:36It's like a demon.
04:38Because I like how the tongue is sticking out and it has like a snake tongue on it.
04:44I think he's confident with them.
04:46I think that's what I like about it.
04:49I'm going to look soft.
04:51What would you do if Daddy didn't have any tattoos anymore?
04:55Cry.
04:56It would be really strange and weird.
04:59Hello.
05:11Where's all Daddy's tattoos gone?
05:13Where's all my tattoos gone?
05:16Am I still your Daddy?
05:18Am I still your Daddy?
05:20I love you.
05:21I look like Smeagol don't I?
05:23My precious.
05:26Are you going to hug?
05:28Are you scared of me?
05:31Are you scared of me? Am I scary like this?
05:33Am I?
05:34You think Daddy's scary like this?
05:36You don't think Daddy's scary with tattoos?
05:38No?
05:39Yeah, he doesn't look like you at all.
05:41At all.
05:42Looks like you're a pretty good comparison.
05:44Yeah, I don't like it.
05:45At least you know I'm still your Daddy.
05:47At least you know I'm still your Daddy.
05:49Eh?
05:50Yes.
05:51It doesn't look like you.
05:52Don't be shy. Come and give Daddy a cuddle.
05:54Daddy hasn't seen you all day.
05:55I haven't seen you.
05:57Would you cuddle if he had his tattoos back?
05:59Yes.
06:00There you go.
06:01Right, let's get this make-up off.
06:03You don't like it either?
06:04Nah.
06:05It doesn't feel like me.
06:06Can I have a cuddle at least?
06:07Jesse Rose?
06:08Give Daddy a cuddle.
06:09Come on, I'm still Daddy.
06:11Don't make me sad.
06:12You make me sad.
06:13Come here.
06:14Come on.
06:15I'm still Daddy.
06:17I'm still Daddy.
06:18Take a back bite.
06:20I'm still your Daddy.
06:22Come on, let's go for you.
06:24Use the bite.
06:26I'm still your Daddy, aren't I?
06:28I'm still your Daddy.
06:29I can recognise him by his eyes and his like...
06:31Big smile.
06:32Yeah, he's always got a big smile.
06:34I think if I was looking like this for an extended period of time I could get used to it.
06:40But it's just such a shock seeing it here today.
06:43I look a lot older I feel.
06:45I look a lot older.
06:46It's aged my skin a wee bit.
06:47But yeah, it is what it is.
06:49I don't think I could live like this every day.
06:51No.
06:52My tattoos are always going to be there and they're always going to be a part of me.
06:55I think.
07:02We have two trans kids.
07:04Anyone can be whoever they want.
07:06I'm just owning it.
07:09Our family is seen to be very unconventional.
07:13So I had kids and I can't be hot anymore.
07:15Like, moms are hot too.
07:17People say I look like a thug but I love thugs.
07:19I take that as a compliment.
07:21I'm bored of people thinking that I cannot be intimate.
07:24I'm a young, single, hot piece of disabled booty.
07:27I feel like I'm going to look at myself and be like, who is that?
07:36Life is way too short to be hiding.
07:38It is my story. It is my truth.
07:54It is my story.
07:55It is my truth.
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