WATERLOO Road star Kym Marsh has unveiled a huge new tattoo on her ribs as a reminder of playing an iconic role.
Kym, 48, took to Instagram last night (July 18) to show off the impressive Cruella de Vil tattoo she had inked across her torso.
The tattoo is doubly significant for Kym as not only does it serve as a reminder of playing Cruella in the musical version of 101 Dalmatians, but the role also led her to her new love, 29-year-old Samuel, who plays a character named Tom in the production.
The intricate tattoo design features the cartoon version of Cruella wearing her classic dalmatian print coat. She is standing in her signature pose, cigarette in hand.
Kym opted for black and red ink to really make the tattoo pop.
Alongside sharing a photo of the ink on social media, Kym thanked her tattoo artist for her work, but warned fans that she picked a pretty painful place on her body for.
Kym chose her ribs to cover up an old tattoo.
“Thank you, @jesswright_tattoo for my awesome Cruella tattoo,” she wrote on Instagram. “Needed something to cover up an old one and this is just perfect!”
She added: “A great reminder of playing this iconic villain! Although….. if you’re gonna have a tattoo gang….. ribs are SORE!!! Sorry Jess for the occasional swear word, hahah. You’re an absolute genius!”
Kym has been revealing lots of new things to her fans recently. Earlier this month she went public with her romance with Samuel.
The couple got to know each other while working on 101 Dalmatians: The Musical together. The production began touring across the U.K. and Ireland in June, meaning they quickly began spending a lot of time together.
Sam is the same age as Kym’s oldest son David, but age is just a number for this couple who have already made it clear they’re completely infatuated with each other.
The pair even went so far as to declare their love for each other in separate Instagram posts, with Kym even calling him her “soulmate”.
Sharing a picture of her kissing actor Samuel, Kym said: “Met the most amazing man ever! Sometimes the most unexpected things happen at the most unexpected times. Sam Thomas, I love you #beautiful #soulmate #loveyou.”
Commenting on the post, Sam wrote back: “I didn’t expect you, but here you are. I love you.”
Smitten Kym replied: “Ditto. The best things happen unexpectedly. Love you too.”
Friends have since said that Samuel has “put a smile” back on Kym’s face after the breakdown of her third marriage to Army Major Scott Ratcliff.
A source told The Mirror: “It started as a friendship but has quickly developed into something more. Kym is sure this relationship is the real deal and is telling anyone who will listen she is in love again.”
They added that after her split with Scott, she had “thrown herself into work”, shooting the new series of Waterloo Road while also doing the 101 Dalmatians tour, where she plays the iconic villain Cruella de Vil.
As well as her son David, Kym is mum to Emilie, 27, and 13-year-old Polly.
KYM has been married three times - to EastEnders star Jack Ryder from 2002-2009, and to Hollyoaks' Jamie Lomas from 2012-2014.
The 48-year-old split from her third husband Army Major Scott Ratcliff last year, who she wed in 2021.
The actress met 29-year-old actor Samuel Thomas while rehearsing for a new theatre show, 101 Dalmations: The Musical.
Kym has two children, David and Emilie, from an earlier relationship, and a daughter, Polly, with Lomas. She and Lomas also had a son, Archie, in 2010, who died moments after he was born.
She also became a grandmother in May 2019 when Emilie gave birth to a baby boy.
