Melanie Griffith and 6 Other Celebrities Who Had Tattoos of Lovers Removed

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Melanie Griffith walked the red carpet with makeup covering up her famous forearm tattoo that bears her husband Antonio Banderas’ name. The two announced that they would split earlier this month. She’s now getting the tattoo removed, at least according to the Daily Mail, which published photos of the star leaving a Los Angeles tattoo removal office on Thursday.

Getting rid of ink is serious business: the best way is to laser it off, which apparently feels like you’re being burned. Plenty of celebs have removed tattoos they later regretted, including Pharrell, 50 Cent and Megan Fox. Mark Wahlberg even took his children with him to get his tattoos removed in order to scare them out of making the same mistake.

But removing a tattoo with a lover’s name is more than just physically painful: it must be emotionally wrenching as well. Luckily for Griffith, she’s in good company. Here are six other celebrities who have had to remove permanent ink post-breakup.

Angelia Jolie

The 58th Annual Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals
Angelina Jolie at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.Gregg DeGuire—WireImage

After divorcing Billy Bob Thornton in 2003, Angelina Jolie had her forearm tattoo of his name removed. She has replaced it with the longitudes and latitudes of her six children’s birthplaces.

Eva Longoria

Vanity Fair And Chrysler Celebration Of The Eva Longoria Foundation Hosted By Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria (hair detail) attends the Vanity Fair and Chrysler celebration of The Eva Longoria Foundation on Thursday, February 23 at Beso Hollywood.John Shearer—Getty Images

Eva Longoria had her ex-husband Tony Parker’s basketball jersey number lasered off after she split with the Spurs’ point guard in 2011.

Johnny Depp

Herb Ritts Birthday Party 1990
Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder on September 18, 1990 in Los Angeles.Barry King—WireImage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Johnny Depp is perhaps the greatest example of how to rework a tattoo post-breakup. Once upon a time, Depp had “Winona Forever” tattooed on his arm while dating Winona Rider. The relationship didn’t last, so Depp artfully amended the tattoo to read “Wino Forever.”

Heidi Klum

Nakheel Launches Trump International Hotel and Tower Dubai
Model Heidi Klum attends the Trump International Hotel and Tower Dubai launch on June 23, 2008 at The Park Avenue Plaza in New York.Dimitrios Kambouris—WireImage

Model and reality show host Heidi Klum removed the name of her former husband Seal from her arm last year, according to People. The tattoo consisted of singer Seal’s name followed by three stars with their three children’s initials in them. Klum filed for divorce in April 2012 after seven years of marriage.

Marc Anthony

TIFF Premiere Of "El Cantante"
A close up of actor/singer Marc Anthony's wrist, revealing a "Jennifer" tattoo is seen as he arrives at the TIFF special presentation screening of "El Cantante" (The Singer) during the Toronto International Film Festival held at the Elgin Theatre on September 12, 2006 in Toronto, Canada.Evan Agostini—Getty Images

Marc Anthony removed Jennifer Lopez’s name from his wrist before he even filed for divorce, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He has since replaced the tattoo with a picture of the Statue of Liberty and his girlfriend Shannon De Lima’s name.

Denise Richards

6th Annual General Motors TEN - Arrivals
Denise Richards during 6th Annual General Motors TEN - Arrivals at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California, United States.Jon Kopaloff—FilmMagic

Denise Richards replaced her ankle tattoo of Charlie Sheen’s name with a picture of a fairy after the two split. Sheen also got his tattoo of the name “Denise” removed from his wrist.

 

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Write to Eliana Dockterman at eliana.dockterman@time.com