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Meet the woman with enough Eminem tattoos to set a world record

Entertainment

(CNN)Nikki Patterson knows she’s a Stan.

In fact, “Stan” was the first Eminem song that the 35-year-old nail technician from Aberdeeen, Scotland, heard when she was a teenager.

“I literally fell in love with him and the song,” Patterson told CNN. “I had never heard anything like this before. I showed it to my dad. Obviously, there was lots of swearing.”

At 17, she attended her first Eminem concert. She’s seen him live seven times. That includes once flying to New York to see him perform at Yankee Stadium in 2010. She regularly received Eminem-themed t-shirts and hoodies at Christmas. And posters. And all of the Slim Shady concert DVDs.

    When Patterson turned 19, she cemented her love for the rapper with a tattoo. She got a backwards “E” for Eminem.

    “It’s super tiny, like the size of a coin,” Patterson said. “I wanted it because it’s not too obviously Eminem, but that’s kinda funny considering where I am now.”

    Guinness World Records confirmed with CNN that Patterson received the title for “the most tattoos of the same musician tattooed on the body” on March 31.

    Of the 54 tattoos across her 5-foot-6 frame, 28 are Eminem-themed. And 16 of them are portraits of the rapper, which earned her the world record.

    The tattoo that changed her life

    Patterson had just a few smaller tattoos of the rapper’s lyrics before she met with tattoo artist David Corden for her first portrait of Eminem in 2017.

    “That tattoo changed my life overnight,” said Patterson, who is open about her struggles with her weight. “I went from hating the skin I was in to loving it.”

    Patterson returned to Corden eight more times. And she has eight more done by artists Yarson Stachowicz and Jay Hutton.

    Patterson documents her tattoos on her Instagram, where she updates followers on press coverage and future tattoo plans. The attention she’s received online since beating the world record has been overwhelming, she says.

    “I’ve had a hashtag called #SignMeShady because I want to get his signature tattooed on me,” Patterson said. “My Instagram has been aimed at getting his attention. I’m excited because I think the attention might lead to something, but I’ve also had a lot of horrible comments, which is hard.”

      Often, commenters will call Patterson a stalker or question her relationship with her husband.

      “They have a fascination with my love life because they can’t understand how another guy would want to be with me,” she said. “I feel like people just see a picture and they judge me, when they don’t judge … my past or my situation.”