10 Times Celebrities Covered Up Their Old Tattoos and Gave Them a Totally New Meaning

The meaning of the tattoos we wear on our bodies may change with time. Some of us may regret getting certain tattoos, and celebrities are no exception. While many of them choose to remove the unwanted images and inscriptions from their skin once and for all, others use all their creativity and imagination and alter those tattoos, giving them new positive meanings.

We at Bright Side found pictures of celebrities with their old and new tattoos, and here are the stories behind those transformations.

Heidi Klum removed an abstract design from her arm after her divorce.

In 2008, Heidi Klum had an abstract wave-shaped pattern tattooed on her arm to commemorate the vow renewal with her then-husband Seal. “It was our fourth wedding, and we wanted to have our names tattooed together,” said Heidi.

After filing for divorce in 2012, the model chose to remove the pattern dedicated to her husband, but she kept the 4 little stars that are dedicated to her children.

Kaley Cuoco turned her marriage-inspired tattoo into a moth.

The original tattoo below Kaley’s neck was the date of her wedding to Ryan Sweeting written in Roman numerals. After their divorce, the actress decided to cover up the wedding date with a moth image. The tattoo needed to be large enough to cover the previous pattern, that’s why Kaley chose a big moth with big wings.

Malin Åkerman changed the meaning of her tattoo by adding just one letter.

Malin’s wrist tattoo was originally the letter “Z” that stood for her ex-husband’s last name. After their divorce, the actress wanted to modify the regrettable tattoo, and she added the letter “S” over it. “S” is the first letter of her son’s name “Sebastian.”

Zoë Kravitz corrected a grammatical mistake.

The original quote in Arabic that Zoë had on her back reportedly had a mistake in it, saying “Let the love the rule” instead of “Let love rule.” The actress decided to remove the ink and cover it up with a gorgeous dragonfly.

Angelina Jolie gave her tattoo a deeper meaning.

Angelina Jolie devoted her dragon tattoo to her then-husband Billy Bob Thornton. After the couple split, the actress covered this ink with the coordinates of places her children come from. Angelina is a big fan of tattoos and she reportedly has more than 15 of them on her body.

Keith Urban devoted his wrist tattoo to Nicole Kidman.

The musician devoted his tribal-style bracelet ink to his wife Nicole Kidman, and it incorporates her initials. This bracelet covers a previous tattoo, the Latin saying “Omnia vincit amor,” which means “Love conquers all.”

Marc Anthony covered his J.Lo-inspired wrist tattoo

The singer used to have “Jennifer” inked on his right wrist to commemorate his then-wife Jennifer Lopez. After the couple broke up, he covered J.Lo’s name with a tribal design.

Denise Richards is another celebrity who chose to cover her ex’s name tattoo.

Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen got married in 2002 and she got his name inked on her ankle. Several years later the couple divorced, and Denise turned the unwanted tattoo into a fairy.

Rihanna added more stars to the “constellation” on her neck.

Originally, Rihanna had a small group of stars tattooed on her neck. The singer and her then-partner Chris Brown got matching star tattoos, but after the couple separated, Rihanna changed her ink. She added more stars to the tattoo and made it more about herself than her past relationship.

The singer also turned a shark on her ankle into a crown.

Rihanna devoted the camouflage shark tattoo on her left ankle to her then-boyfriend Drake. After they broke up, the shark was replaced by a crown. Rihanna is a big fan of tattoo art. Elle magazine even created a guide on all her ink and their meaning according to the singer.

Do you have tattoos? What do they mean?

Got some cool photos or stories and want to be featured on Bright Side? Send them all right HERE and right now. Meanwhile, we’re waiting!

Rihanna’s philanthropic endeavors are making waves as she continues to leverage her influence for global change. The Barbadian singer has been involved in charity work since she was 18, starting with the Believe Foundation aimed at helping children with terminal illnesses. She later founded the Clara Lionel Foundation, which has a global reach providing education, health, and emergency aid. Rihanna has also been a strong advocate for AIDS awareness and global education, earning her several humanitarian awards. Her charity work is a testament to her commitment to making a positive impact on the world.