Inside I’m A Celeb star Tulisa’s tattoos and their meanings from controversial ‘Female Boss’ inking which sparked Ofcom complaints to ‘secret’ saucy designs and heartbreaking tributes

Tulisa showed off her infamous ‘The Female Boss’ tattoo in the opening credits of I’m A Celeb as the show returned on Sunday.

The N-Dubz singer, 36, previously hit the headlines for the design on her forearm, but that hasn’t stopped her continuing having more inkings added. 

Back in 2011 when then X Factor judge Tulisa was accused of illegally promoting her perfume of the same name when she struck a pose to display her forearm at the start of the ITV talent show. 

Offering insight into the tattoo’s meaning she 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. 

Meanwhile in 2013 Tulisa finally showed off a sauciest one, a year after revealing she had a ‘secret tattoo’ somewhere on her body.

During a sun-soaked trip to Marbella she slipped into a tiny white two-piece to display the worlds ‘Lucky You’ her bikini line. 

The message is accompanied with a four leaf clover design and  also be a reference to American jeans company Lucky Brand, who create denims for men with ‘Lucky You’ and a clover printed onto the fly.

Tulisa also has another tattoo on her forearm in tribute to  her late uncle Byron Contostavlos, father of bandmate and cousin Dappy, who passed away in 2007.

In honour of her relative who helped launch her music career it fetaures a microphone and musical notes with the words: ‘RIP Uncle B N Dubz for Life.’ 

Meanwhile on her right shoulder is a large unicorn and on bottom of her back are the words: ‘She is strong when she is weak, She is brave when she is scared, She is humble when she is victorious’.

Last year Tulisa debuted a large and very bold ‘Lone wolf’  tattoo on the back of her neck

She modelled the eye-catching design while enjoying a dip in a very skimpy bikini writing:  ‘She penned in the caption: ‘THE LONE WOLF ..l got eyes in the back of my head #lilswim&chills #newtattfor2023 #issamood.’

On Sunday I’m A Celeb fans went wild when when Tulisa proudly stuck her arm up to show off her The Female Boss tattoo in the opening credits.

Taking to X they gushed: ”NAH TULISA DOING HER POSE LOL #imacelebrity’: ‘Obsessed with Tulisas iconic ‘female boss’ pose #imacelebrity’:’The gasp I let out seeing Tulisa do her signature arm gesture during the opening credits #ImACeleb’, ‘tulisa bringing back the female boss. only the 2011 real ones know #ImACeleb’, ‘Good to see Tulisa is still rocking the female boss stance #imacelebrity’.

Tulisa is making her television comeback by appearing on this year’s I’m A Celebrity and said: ‘There’s nothing worse in that jungle than what happened in 2013.’

Mazher Mahmood, also known as the Fake Sheik, a former journalist for the Sun on Sunday was jailed for 15 months for perverting the course of justice after he tricked Tulisa into buying cocaine for him while he posed as a film producer.

Since she stood on the steps of Southwark Crown Court in 2014 vindicated and condemned the ‘horrific entrapment’ from Mahmood, Tulisa has remained largely out of the spotlight, save an N-Dubz tour in 2022.

Speaking about her entry into the I’m a Celebrity jungle, she said: ‘Every time I think, you know, this is going to be hard, I think I’ve done it, I can do it.

‘And then I just got to the point, well, going on television again is the most uncomfortable situation I could possibly put myself in.

‘And I feel like I’ve been on this kind of healing cycle for the past 11 years, really, since all the crap, since X Factor, since the trial.

‘And this, for me, would complete the cycle, because it’s the last thing on the list is this overwhelming fear that I have or have had. I’m not feeling it today, but overall, of this fear of being on especially TV.’

The case was brought against Mahmood after Tulisa was accused of arranging for him to be sold £800 of cocaine by one of her contacts following an elaborate sting for the Sun on Sunday newspaper in May 2013.

During a meeting at the Metropolitan Hotel in London, Mahmood posed as a film producer and plied the popstar with alcohol as they discussed an acting role alongside Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio.

As Smith drove the former X Factor judge home to Hertfordshire, she allegedly spoke about a family member who had a drug problem. 

The following ten years were ‘hell’ for Tulisa who had an entire future ahead of her ruined by the sting.

Speaking about the ordeal, the I Need You singer said: ‘Honestly, I can’t tell you.

‘Sure, at times it’s been horrific for me at moments in the past 10 years, but that’s just not the perspective that I have now. I take it all as knowledge.

‘Knowledge Is power and ultimately a blessing because I wouldn’t be where I am without it, I wouldn’t change a thing.

‘I don’t think I would have been able to do this unless I was feeling in such a strong content place. So it could only have been now. It couldn’t have been before.’

I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! continues Monday at 9pm on ITV1, STV and ITVX