‘It’s like an addiction’ - UK’s most tattooed man left with just 3% of his body uncovered after new designs

A retiree who is ‘one of UK’s most tattooed men’ has just three per cent of his skin left without ink after getting more designs as he aims to ‘fill up his entire body.’ Keith Gordon, 67 is one of the UK’s ‘most inked up men’ after he got hooked on the phenomenon aged 52.

The retired civil servant said he “liked to shock people” with his unusual look and has ink covering his head, lips and even his eyelids. In recent months he has had around five sessions - including a devil design on one leg, his wife and children’s names and the words ‘f*** off* in a 1.5inch gap on his lower leg and says “it’s like an addiction”.

Keith estimates he has just three per cent left of white space on his body - with the remaining gaps left on his legs. He plans to fill these with shading to leave him completely covered in ink, and said he has no idea how many tattoos he has in total - or has had done recently.

Keith, from Romford, Essex, gets stopped everywhere he goes by people shocked by his unique look. He does not know how much the tattoos have cost him in total but said his head and face ink alone set him back £6k.

Retiree Keith has made appearances in EastEnders and Jurassic Park thanks to his unique look - and is the self-appointed "coolest looking guy in Essex". Keith, a dad-of-three, said: "I have no regrets about looking like this, although it makes basic tasks a bit challenging.

"I get stares constantly and people come up to me asking if they hurt and what they cost. Being heavily tattooed though, it’s like an addiction.

"You’re chasing the high and the euphoria of getting more tattoos, each more outrageous than the last. At the moment now I just want to get rid of any white spaces. I’m going towards total coverage now."

Keith got his first tattoos at 17-years-old - but underwent several skin grafts four years later to remove them. He then lived tattoo free until he was 52, when he suddenly decided he missed his old body art so he went back to the tattoo parlour to reinvent himself.

Fifteen years later, Keith has ‘next to no’ skin left uncovered and predicts he has spent tens of thousands of pounds on his tattoos.

Keith said: "I don’t know how many there are in total. I’ve lost count. It is just one big project. But getting my whole head tattooed was a very extreme, intense experience.

"At times it was very, very painful especially around the corner of the eyes, the lip and parts of the inner ear - that was absolutely killer."

Keith said he often gets stared at in public for his unique look - especially his face and head tattoos.

The retired civil servant said:  "Whenever I have people come to my house - workmen, delivery drivers, plumbers - I have to warn them on the phone ‘I don’t look anything like I sound. "The novelty does wear off a bit after getting the same questions for 15 years, but all in all I’m still happy to look like this."