The massive back tattoo that Ben Affleck was spotted sporting late last year has been confirmed as a fake by the man himself. During an interview with ‘Extra TV', the actor revealed that the questionable looking ink was fake and done for an upcoming movie role, causing us all to breathe a sigh of relief.

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When asked about the tattoo by host Mario Lopez, Ben confirmed it was “fake for a movie,” adding: “I actually do have a number of tattoos… but I try to have them in places where you don’t have to do a lot of cover up… they get sort of addictive, tattoos, after awhile.”

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After the picture of the tattoo did the rounds, Affleck, who had just split from wife Jennifer Garner, was accused of having a bit of a ‘mid-life’ crisis moment. The tattoo, which appeared to be a phoenix rising from the ashes, was even mentioned by ex-wife Jennifer Garner, during her tell-all interview with Vanity Fair.

“You know what we would say in my hometown about that? ‘Bless his heart.’ A phoenix rising from the ashes,” Garner told the magazine. “Am I the ashes in this scenario? I take umbrage. I refuse to be the ashes.”

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Another of Affleck’s exes, Jennifer Lopez, also weighed in when she appeared on 'Watch What Happens Live’ earlier this month. Describing the tattoo as ‘awful’, Lopez said: “I would tell him, ‘What are you doing?’ It has too many colours. His tattoos always have too many colours. They shouldn’t be so colourful!”