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Although Chris Dalzell has no regrets about covering 95% of his skin in tattoos, there have been some downsides.
He transformed his appearance by getting over 600 tattoos to help cope with his daughter’s ill health.
His little girl, six, now loves her daddy’s body art but he spoke candidly about some of the repercussions.
READ MORE: How 'Ireland’s most tattooed man' looked without ink – before family cut ties
Chris – known as ‘Ireland’s most tattooed man’ – said the biggest setback was landing jobs.
He has been a chef since he was a teenager but he claimed his appearance has cost him employment opportunities.
Speaking to Daily Star, he said: “It is very difficult for jobs to be honest and I didn’t think it would be.”
He then mentioned one interview in Holywood, Northern Ireland, where he claimed his ink was the reason he was denied.
Chris remembered: “At the end of the chat she said ‘I’d love to give you a job but we don't let our customers with visible tattoos in so I couldn't’ justify giving you a job and have you walking out into the bar or restaurant at the end of the night and being seen by customers’.
“The head chef was sitting there and he said ‘you cannot say that to him, it’s discrimination’.
“She had said I was qualified and they knew I could do the job but they were not giving me it because of the tattoos and that was that.
“I was a bit like… I left my daughter in the hospital to go to that interview.
“That does happen and I’ve applied for jobs before and they’ve said they will get back to me. But when they realise who I am they often never do.”
Chris’ daughter, Jessica, suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare condition affecting connective tissues.
She has spent half her life in hospital and has had major surgeries in London.
But Chris, from Bangor, Northern Ireland, is now providing for his family – including two daughters and a stepson – after his luck changed and he bagged a new job in a restaurant.
He said: “I’ve only been there for a few weeks and one of the people came up to me recently and said they don’t notice my tattoos any more.
“They said it was strange that they forgot about them. And to be honest I forget I have them too.
“Sometimes if I am out walking or doing shopping I will see a reflection of myself in the window and I have to think ‘oh I’m covered in tattoos, that’s why people are looking at me’.
“I constantly have to remind myself.”
But sometimes when he is out in public with his loved ones strangers will put him in uncomfortable situations.
Chris explained: “People take pictures of me without my consent in public and I don’t like that.
“I don’t pick up on it so much but my kids do. I have a wee stepson and he will say ‘Chris, that girl over there is taking pictures of you’.
“Anybody I speak to I say that I prefer if people come up and ask for photos. If people want a photo with me that’s fine but have one on my own and don’t do it without consent with my kids in it.”
But despite the negative aspects, Chris said he hopes his tattoos inspire his children to believe that anything is possible.
The doting dad said: “If I can walk about the streets looking how I look now and lead a normal happy life and still get a job and earn good money then my kids can do whatever they set their mind to.
“There is nothing that can come in Jessica’s way after everything she’s been through.
“I want her to think ‘this is nothing for me’ and that’s my message.
“This isn’t about me, it's about raising awareness for my daughter and her rare condition.”
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