Ben Fogle shared pictures on social media showing the removal of his tattoo as he wanted fans to “think before you ink”.
Back in 2018, the TV presenter and adventurer reached the summit of Mount Everest in a gruelling climb that took him weeks, and he had the mountain’s height - 8,848m - inked on to his wrist as a permanent reminder of his epic feat.
However, he revealed he had the tattoo removed at NAAMA Studios in London after the summit of Mount Everest was recalculated, meaning he has the wrong number on his wrist, and it looked too much “like my PIN number”.
“Nothing has to last forever. I decided to get rid of my Everest tattoo. It took time. A looong time. Just like the climb,” Ben began.
“It took patience. And the realisation that we have the power to change the things we regret, the tattoo, not the climb,” he explained.
At the time, Ben said he had climbed the mountain in memory of his son, who was delivered stillborn in 2014.
Despite the difficult climb to the summit, the star said he still cherished the memory of his epic feat.
“The climb was life changing for me. A permanent memory, unlike the tattoo that looked like my PIN number. Not even the height of Everest, which has been recalculated from 8848m to 8848.8m, is permanent,” he continued.
“Maybe I was never meant to have it? My tattoo of the wrong height has gone but the memories remain on the inside.”
Ben said he was “glad to have his wrist back”, and issued a stark warning to his followers.
“It only took minutes to get but took years to remove. Think before you ink,” he stated.
He later added that he still had other tattoos on his body “that I like a LOT”, and so far, had only removed one.
His followers were supportive of his decision, with one writing in the comments: “Gone but never forgotten. We can wear our badges on the inside.”
“Think before you ink, never have I read such wise words Ben. Well done Ben tattoo gone, but memory of the climb has not,” another chimed in.
“Thank you again for being so honest and open about things you have done,” one wrote.