n June 2009, Vlaminck threatened to sue tattooist Rouslan Toumaniantz for the cost of the stars' removal, insisting that a language barrier meant the Flemish speaker had misunderstood when she gave instructions in French and English to ink only three stars on her face.
Vlaminck said she avoided going out in public because the tattoos made her feel like a 'freak'.
But a week later she confessed to a Dutch TV station that she had been awake throughout and had indeed asked for the full 56 marks.
She said she lied because she was afraid of how her father would react.
Even still, Mr Toumaniantz - whose own face is covered in tattoos and piercings - offered to pay half the cost of laser removal, saying he did not want to leave a customer unsatisfied.
He later retracted this offer, leaving Vlaminck to cover the cost alone.
According to Belgian media, Toumaniantz said he did not regret tattooing Vlaminck, adding that it had given him publicity.
