David Beckham's Grown-up Tattoos

David Beckham thinks his tattoos stopped people thinking of him as a ''mummy's boy''.

The retired soccer star - who has children Brooklyn, 16, Romeo, 12, Cruz, 10, and three-year-old Harper with wife Victoria - has a number of inkings all over his body and is still ''really happy'' with all of them, though he thinks they helped dramatically change his image.

He said: ''I'm always asked [if I regret them] but I don't. I'm really happy with all my tattoos.

''The one that probably caused the most controversy was the one on my neck. People saw me as a bit of a mummy's boy then I got this big black tattoo on the back of my neck and the perception changed a little bit.''

When he gets a new inking, David is always mindful of how it will look in the future and insists all his tattoos carry a special meaning for him.

He told HELLO!'s Fashion Monthly: ''My advice to anyone thinking of getting a tattoo is don't do it when you're drunk. And make sure it's meaningful.

''Your body changes over time and it might not look as cool as it did 10 years previously.''