Tulisa Contostavlos’ iconic pose flaunting the tattoo on her forearm features on the opening credits of I’m A Celebrity 2024 – and she’s certainly not afraid of flashing the controversial inking.
Tulisa was embroiled in scandal years ago over the tattoo, which reads: “The Female Boss.”
The tattoo is perhaps the most famous of Tulisa’s inkings. It first came to public prominence when people saw it on The X Factor in 2011 and it’s even sparked an Ofcom investigation.
Tulisa Contostavlos’ The Female Boss tattoo
The ink on her right forearm, The Female Boss, inspired her fragrance and album of the same name. However, her supposed “nickname” got her into trouble over alleged illegal promotions on television.
In 2011, when Tulisa appeared as one of the X Factor judges, she was accused of promoting her fragrance. She would make an entrance – much like she does on I’m A Celeb – by striking a pose with her tattoo.
I was showing off my tattoo long before The X Factor. It’s always been my trademark and it’s always been my nickname.
Complaints about the singer’s tatt prompted an investigation by Ofcom – the organisation that oversees broadcasting and telecommunication regulations. And she eventually covered the tatt up.
Addressing the controversy, Tulisa told The Mirror at the time: “I was showing off my tattoo long before The X Factor. It’s always been my trademark and it’s always been my nickname.
“The perfume’s not actually called The Female Boss – it’s just TFB. So someone wouldn’t go into a shop and buy my perfume just because they’d seen my tattoo,” she continued.
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Ofcom ruling
Ofcom ruled that references to the star’s perfume were “appropriately limited”.
However, complaints about sister show The Xtra Factor on ITV2 were upheld. The regulator commented that “undue prominence” was given to the perfume on the spin-off, which is presented by the late Caroline Flack and Olly Murs.
On the show, the presenters interviewed Tulisa and repeatedly referred to the fragrance. Caroline said: “The Female Boss came out this week, and I’ve been wearing it all day, by the way.” Olly then responded by saying: “I wondered why you were smelling so nice.”
The presenters also mimicked Tulisa’s ‘salute’. As a result, Ofcom ruled that The Xtra Factor was in breach of broadcasting guidelines on the promotion of products, services and trademarks.
The ruling stated: “Ofcom considered that, in light of the undue prominence given to the product by the sequence as a whole and, in particular, Olly Murs’ endorsement of it, the sequence appeared to promote Tulisa’s perfume.”
Other inkings on I’m A Celebrity 2024 star
Tulisa has many other tattoos in addition to The Female Boss.
The other one on her forearm is a tribute to her late uncle Byron Contostavlos, who passed away from a heart attack in 2007. He was the father of her cousin and N-Dubz bandmate Dappy.
The ink features a huge microphone surrounded by music notes and tiny stars, with “R.I.P Uncle B N-Dubz for life” written on top.
Tulisa also has a ‘secret tattoo’ just above her bikini line. It reads “Lucky You” with a four-leaf clover drawn beside it. Although she vowed to never show it, the tattoo was spotted during a 2013 party in Marbella when she donned a white bikini.
The ink on her lower back featuring the lyrics of one of her tracks from the album, The Female Boss. It reads: “She is strong when she is weak / She is brave when she is scared / She is humble when she is victorious.”
Tulisa also has a large winged unicorn on her right shoulder. She got that to cover up her previous tattoos featuring a yin-yang symbol and her name in Greek.
The I’m A Celebrity star’s latest tattoo from 2023 features a wolf on her nape. She posted a picture of it on her Instagram stories and captioned it: “THE LONE WOLF …”
I’m A Celebrity 2024 airs every night at 9pm on ITV1.
Read more: Tulisa Contostavlos’ spat with Gary Barlow on The X Factor as she joins I’m A Celebrity
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