Sylvester Stallone wanted to change his estranged wife into Wonder Woman, tattoo artist says

Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone had his epic tattoo of estranged wife Jennifer Flavin covered up, with reports saying he tried to change her into 'Wonder Woman'.

The new ink comes as Flavin - who married the actor in 1997 - filed divorce papers against him last month.

According to Mike DeVries, a Hollywood tattoo artist who has inked the likes of Travis Barker and Chris Daughtry, Stallone had wanted to change a tattoo of his wife before the divorce was filed. The tattoo of Flavin’s face had been inked on his right bicep since 2007.

Speaking to PEOPLE, DeVries claimed: "I already knew that he wanted to do something, because last year he emailed me, called me, and we discussed talking about making Jennifer Flavin into [Wonder Woman]."

However, turning model Flavin into Wonder Woman was not an easy swap, as DeVries revealed that due to Flavin's dark hair and shading in the tattoo, it would make adding a yellow tiara. as seen on Wonder Woman, pretty much impossible.

He explained: "All of her hair would just shine through."

Abaca Press/Alamy Stock Photo

Speaking further about tattooing the Rocky and Rambo actor, DeVries added that Stallone is 'one of those guys who just knows what he wants'.

"He wanted the colors brighter. 'Brighter, brighter. We got to get these colors brighter'. We decided on a specific image. And usually when you pick the image, you don't want to veer too far away from it... So I remember getting done, I got the hair done."

He added: "I'm starting to work on the face now. And I'm starting to work up. I get the chin, and I'm working on the lips, and I get the lips pretty much done."

However Stallone still had some final touches he wanted adding to make the tat and homage to his now estranged wife perfect.

DeVries described Stallone as directing him: "He is like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second. [I] want you to do the lips like this'. And he gets out different magazine covers. And he is like, 'Make it like this'. "

In the end, Stallone turned to a different tattoo artist to change the finished portrait of Flavin, opting for a tribute to his late dog and Rocky costar Butkus.

UNILAD has reached out to Stallone's reps for comment.

Flavin filed a petition 'for dissolution of marriage and other relief' in Florida on 19 August and in a statement to PEOPLE, she said: "I'm sad to announce that after 25 years of marriage I have filed for divorce from my husband Sylvester Stallone.

"While we will no longer be married, I will always cherish the more than 30-year relationship that we shared, and I know we are both committed to our beautiful daughters.

"I ask for privacy for our family as we amicably move forward."

In his own statement, Stallone added: "I love my family. We are amicably and privately addressing these personal issues."

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