A woman covered in tattoos – more than a thousand of them, covering almost every inch of her skin including her face – has revealed that she's ready to welcome baby number eight.
With vibrant green hair, metal grills on her teeth, and tattoos layered over tattoos on her face, Melissa Sloan - a 46-year-old mother from Powys, South Wales - admits that some people are put off by her appearance.
However, that certainly doesn't extend to her children.
Her journey with tattoos began in her 20s and has continued unabated. Originally, Melissa sported designs of flowers and an England flag. However, as her love for ink grew, these were covered with newer tattoos including several crucifixes. Notably, some of her tattoos have been termed ‘prison tattoos’ due to their crude designs and the absence of a professional touch.
The mother of seven, whose children range in age from eight to 24 years old, says her appearance has led to her being isolated. From being barred from school nativity plays, to being banned from her local pub, and facing challenges in the job market, Melissa's unique look has often been met with prejudice.
Melissa's tattoos have led to mixed reactions within her family. While her two youngest children are fascinated by her inked canvas, her eldest children, who have left home, have expressed their embarrassment and are reluctant to be associated with her.
Melissa revealed to the Daily Star last year that Christmas is a particularly difficult time for her family, and her children's school even makes her stand outside to watch the annual nativity performance.
"No Christmas parties and when I go to my child's school I don't get invited," Sloan revealed. "They said once for me to go to the back garden and look through the class window they told me to do so."
She now no longer attends her children's plays due to the teacher's requests for her to remain outside instead of in the hall with all of the other parents. In fact, Melissa went on to say that she no longer goes to the school at all, and she relies on her husband Luke to do all of the parental duties, like taking the kids the school fayre.
But Melissa is certainly looking on the bright side of life, revealing that she now wants to have baby number eight.
Speaking to the Daily Star, she said: "I want another baby soon [...] I’m trying for another baby. I told the nurse this the other day and she was shocked, her eyes popped out!
"See I haven’t had sex for three years but my kids keep asking for a brother or sister."
And she doesn't mind that the baby will never see her true face without ink, as that has been the case with her two youngest children, Autumn and Summer.
She even claims that her two youngest kids became "scared" when she decided to cover up her ink with foundation and makeup.
"They burst out crying and even my dog looked twice," she joked. "I wanted a change. I wanted to challenge myself but the kids were scared they wanted me back."
She previously explained that her addiction to tattoos started as a way of coping with the abuse she suffered as a child.
