CHRIS Dalzell, 36, from Belfast, became fully covered in tattoos around seven years ago as a coping mechanism for when his daughter Jessica got really ill and was in and out of hospital. Chris is so used to being fully tatted that he "forgets that they’re there" until he sees himself in a reflective surface. "My daughter has never seen me in the flesh without tattoos, so it will be a big change for her", he tells Truly as he gets ready to be covered up. As he starts getting covered by the MUA, Chris says that he can't anticipate how he will feel. How will he react to having no tattoos at all after seven years? And how will his daughter, who has never seen him without them, react to her dad's new look?
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FunTranscript
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.