Gemma Atkinson has shared a series of throwback photographs of herself playing tennis in a sports bra, explaining why she got her stomach tattoo removed. The former Strictly star revealed she got a Chinese symbol inked on her stomach after Mel B from the Spice Girls made it popular, but can "thank the Lord" for tattoo removal.
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The inking in question was three Chinese symbols running down the right-hand side of her stomach, but these days there is no evidence that Gemma ever had a tattoo – leaving fans with questions about the removal process.
Gemma captioned the snaps: "I've clearly always been Wimbledon ready ps. Thank the lord for tattoo removal! I blame Scary spice for starting the Chinese symbol on your belly tattoo. I actually had mine done in Magaluf at 3am".
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Reacting to the throwback photos, one fan asked: "How many removal sessions did it take? Is it completely gone or still slightly visible?". Gemma replied: "I think it was 6 or 7 sessions. Mine's gone completely now thankfully!"
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Another curious follower queried: "Fantastic! Do you recommend tattoo removal? I've got one on my arm I want removing xx". The star responded honestly, saying: "It’s extremely painful! Depends how much you want rid. I had mine removed and for me it was worth it as I hated it. But it wrecked!!!"
Gemma explained why she'd had her tattoo removed
A third joked: "Don’t worry, lots of us have 90s Chinese writing on our bodies!!"
The tattoo definitely wasn't the main focus for Gemma's fiancé Gorka Marquez, however, who joked: "I will watch you play all day long".
Laser tattoo removal is a common procedure these days. The energy from the laser breaks down the ink into tiny pieces, which are safely absorbed into the bloodstream and passed out of the body.
Gemma said it took her six or seven sessions to remove
The price ranges from £50 for a single session to banish a small unwanted design to over £1,000 for the amount of sessions needed to remove a large tattoo.
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Gemma revealed on Twitter back in 2016 that she had started her first tattoo removal session.
Meanwhile, the down-to-earth star has been busy during lockdown. She got engaged to Strictly pro Gorka on Valentine's Day, and the pair have their hands full with their adorable daughter Mia, who turns two in July.
Gemma is teaching daughter Mia to lead a healthy lifestyle
Gemma recently revealed that she's conscious about teaching Mia to lead a healthy lifestyle like her parents, saying: "Gorks knows what to do to look after himself and I'm very careful about what Mia eats and drinks because I want her to make healthy choices for herself.
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"She's only ever had water for instance and not juice or fizzy drinks. Her favourite food is avocado and beetroot. I'm very aware that she sees what I do and will naturally emulate me."