Charlotte Guttenberg and Charles Helmke, 76 and 81, from Melbourne, Florida, have been named the “World’s Most Tattooed OAPs” four years in a row.
The two have spent almost 2000 hours of their lives tattooing their bodies, earning them the Guinness World Record for the most tattooed senior people of their respective genders.
They first met at a tattoo parlor in 2006 and quickly developed strong feelings for one another, leading to their relationship.
Charlotte, a 57-year-old woman with an obsessive need for tattoos, has chosen to call it quits after inking virtually her entire body.
Charles, or ‘Chuck,’ as his friends and family call him, has inked over 97% of his skin.
Charlotte uses body art to express herself through a creative medium. She sees herself as a living canvas, displaying artwork rather than having it framed and displayed on the wall, as some people do.
People of all ages are amazed by what she has done, and some admire her courage and want to be like her.
Charlotte, a 57-year-old woman who had lived with her second husband without getting tattoos, ultimately decided to get one as a birthday present.
Her incursion into the field of body art, however, continued. She ended up in the shop of an artist named Chuck, who graciously offered to hold her hand as she was inked.
The two formed an instant connection and began dating a year later.
Charlotte’s passion for tattoos developed rapidly with each passing day, causing her to set an astonishing Guinness World Record for having the most feather tattoos on a person, with 216 decorating her body.
Charlotte’s entire body is tattooed except for her head and fingertips. She believes that the tattoos on her skin have no bearing on how she views herself or her life.
Chuck got his first tattoo when he was 18, serving in the United States Army.
After 41 years of having only one tattoo, Chuck chose to add two more to his collection on the same day as his first. Then he wore sleeves with intricate ink drawings to hide the third-degree burn scars on both arms.
The former self-defense teacher says he has more tattoos than anyone else. He is about 6 feet 4 inches tall and has 376 tattoos of skulls all over his body.
He’s tattooed so much of his body that he now has 97.5% of it covered. When asked why he’d chosen to have so many tattoos done, they told The Independent in 2017: ‘Because we can.’
This reflects not only their ambition but also their recognition that there is no limit to how much someone can paint themselves with body art.
Chuck and Charlotte each take a different approach to body art. Chuck got a tattoo in honor of his late wife, and Charlotte’s favorite tattoo is her first.
Even though their tattoos are very different, they have both had to deal with unwelcome attention because of them.
This didn’t happen on purpose because they have such pretty designs on their skin.
Charlotte and Chuck were given a Guinness World Record, which they think is a big deal.
Simultaneously, they have received some criticism for their tattoos, but they have maintained a thick skin and stated that individuals who don’t like their designs should not look at them.
Furthermore, many admirers have approached the pair for tattoo assistance; they are eager to involve young people in tattoo discussions.
