James Arthur "regrets" his tattoos.

James Arthur

James Arthur

The 30-year-old musician is known for being covered in body art, but has admitted he wishes he didn't have quite as many as he does, and he revealed he regrets getting "every one of them".

When asked exclusively by BANG Showbiz at Capital's Summertime Ball on Saturday (09.06.18) if there were any inkings he regrets getting, he said: "I regret every one of them, yeah. Every single one, yeah."

The 'Say You Won't Let Go' hitmaker also spoke candidly about mental health, saying that it's of "paramount importance" for men in the spotlight to use their platform to speak openly about their struggles, in the hopes of encouraging other men to do the same.

He said: "I think it's of paramount importance, we definitely have a responsibility. Young men are ... you know, there's tragedies in record numbers in young men because I think we have a macho disposition, we feel like maybe it's not manly to talk about like, feeling a little bit depressed so yeah. I think we have a responsibility in the spotlight to talk about it and hopefully that makes people feel less uncomfortable speaking about it."

James - who is an ambassador for the mental health charity Sane - has been open about his own struggle with panic attacks and suicidal thoughts in the past, and previously admitted he was "baffled" by the music industry's attitude towards the issue.

He said: "In sport, they have sports psychologists to get these people ready for the big games and big crowds, and getting scrutinised by the newspapers.

"Whereas in the music business you don't really have a lot people keeping your head right. They seem happy to see people suffering. It's mad."


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