Alas, romance can fleeing, but ink is forever — Or used to be anyway before laser removal became possible. And if you got matching tattoos with your now-ex, it might be something of an annoyance having to be constantly reminded of them. We bet that’s especially true when your ex is also super famous, which means you have to see them on your body and in the news. With that in mind, read on for stories about celebrities who erased tattoos after erasing their relationships.
Johnny Depp
We all know about how he turned his “Winona Forever” tattoo into “Wino Forever” after his breakup from Winona Ryder, but Depp ended up having to do the same thing 20 years later, after his bitter divorce from Amber Heard. He turned the ink on his fingers that said “slim” — his nickname for her — into “scum.” Later, he changed that to “scam.” Classy. We’re pretty sure the feeling’s mutual.
Kaley Cuoco
When the “The Big Bang Theory” star married tennis player Ryan Sweeting, she tattooed their wedding date on her back. After their divorce, she covered it up with this elegant moth, which her tattoo artist shared with the world.
Melanie Griffith
In the early ’90s, the “Working Girl” star got a tattoo of longtime hubby Antonio Banderas’ name in a heart on her right arm. But after the couple split in 2015, but the name was erased.
Melanie Brown
After her divorce from her ex, Stephen Belafonte, the Spice Girl turned reality competition judge had the tattoo she got in tribute to him removed. Surgically. As in, she literally had a surgeon cut her ex’s name off her body. Ouch.
Amber Rose
After her split from Wiz Khlifa, Amber Rose covered up a tattoo on her arm of his face with the face of an unidentified other man.
Angelina Jolie
After her split from Billy Bob Thorton back in 2003, the star covered up the tattoo of his name with the coordinates of her children and new husband, Brad Pitt. Thorton even had some helpful advice for how she could deal with that Pitt tattoo she got before they split.
Pete Davidson
Following their very short engagement, Davidson had the tattoo he got for ex-fiancée Ariana Grande covered up in a delightfully petty way: With the word “Cursed.” He had practice of course — a few years back, after he and writer-actress Cazzie David broke up, he covered up the tattoo he got for her with this sick black forest.