A primary school teacher who is thought to be the most tattooed in his profession has revealed that he cannot stand the process of getting inked, despite his extreme dedication to body art.
Sylvain Helaine, who has taught in both the UK and his native France for nearly two decades, appeared on ITV's This Morning to discuss his transformation. He got his first tattoo in 2012 at the age of 27, and now, aged 40, he is described as the most tattooed teacher.
A Journey That Began in Britain
Helaine told hosts Dermot O'Leary and Sian Welby that he was working in Britain when he saw someone with a full sleeve of tattoos. That moment inspired him to get his own arm tattoo, and he quickly became increasingly dedicated to adding more ink.
He admitted that he always knew he wanted to be fully covered. Asked about how his appearance affects his work, he said: "During the first day [of school], because if I do something good, people will say, 'Oh, obviously he's the best, we were about to see that'. But if I do something a little bad, they will think that I'm awful because of my appearance."
Reactions From Children, Parents and Grandparents
Helaine previously noted that it takes time for people to warm to him: "It always takes two minutes for children to accept me, two hours for the parents, and two days for grandparents. So it just takes a little bit of time."
He does not discuss his tattoos while teaching. "I don't talk about my tattoos and my appearance at all when we are in the classroom. We just work, we take out our exercise book, write out the date, and it goes like that. I'm really serious. But if they have some questions to ask me, they can wait for the playground, for example," he explained.
Extreme Modifications and the Pain of Being Tattooed
The teacher's journey is far from complete, as he intends to go over existing ink on most of his body again. Sian Welby noted that the whites of his eyes have been completely covered with black ink, and he has also had his nipples and belly button removed to create a smoother skin surface for easier tattooing. Other areas tattooed include his tongue and underneath his nails on both his hands and feet.
Despite his extensive collection, Helaine said he is not addicted to the process. "I hate the pain. I hate getting tattooed," he admitted. He added: "I love evolving. I love seeing myself evolving. You suffer, and I really hate the pain and am counting the days to the next tattoo session. I'm really anxious. I don't want to go, but at the end of the tattoo session, I'm really proud, and I feel invincible."
This Morning continues tomorrow at 10.00am on ITV1 and ITVX.
