Cheryl Cole has responded to the backlash of criticism she received after having a large tattoo done on her back and derriere, saying the design has "personal meaning".The impressive inking of English roses starts from the singer's lower back and extends down to her bottom, and took an excruciating 15 hours to create.While some fans defended Cheryl's choice of body art, others expressed their disappointment, causing the former Girls Aloud singer to speak out on Twitter.
"I have personal meaning behind it but English roses are my favourite flowers," explained Cheryl. "People are entitled to their own opinion. Personally I've never really concerned myself with other people's body parts!" she added.Coronation Street actress Michelle Keegan was quick to jump to the singer's defence, tweeting, "Not gonna lie I actually heart @CherylCole new tattoo! #dontcare X".Cheryl also replied to the flurry of questions that fans sprung on her, saying she's had the tattoo for seven to eight months but only just had it detailed. When asked to rate how much it hurt, she replied, "More in some places then others but overall I'd say 9-10!!"
The inking first came to light when tattoo artist Nikko Hurtado posted an image of the finished piece on his Instagram page. "The guy is a genius, a true artist and he helped me to cope a lot because I felt like I was in very safe hands :)," tweeted Cheryl.
The singer is thought to have around 20 tattoos in total, and tweeted, "I can pretty much safely say I'm done lol!"