Two years ago, the 24-year-old architecture student had her upper left arm inked with an image of West’s face, with tears of blood from his eyes.

“I loved his music and at the time, I did like him as a person. I liked what he stood for, how he stuck up for the bipolar community,” she told AFP.

“I did idolize him at the time but obviously people change, so I want him off my skin.”

West, who legally changed his name to Ye last year, sparked outrage earlier this month by declaring his “love” of Nazis and admiration for Adolf Hitler.

Meanwhile, his rambling, hours-long appearance with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Jones’ Infowars live stream saw him kicked off Twitter.

It was the latest in a series of anti-Semitic comments that have seen the troubled one-time titan of music-fashion commercial relationships crumble.

For Westgarth, his comments hit home hard, as her best friend is Jewish.

But she is not spending a penny to get the tattoo of him removed.

NAAMA Studios in London’s upmarket Marylebone district is doing it for free, providing her with 12 sessions of laser treatment over the course of a year under its special program called Second Chance.

Painful past

The initiative was set up to provide the free removal of tattoos that had become a constant reminder of an individual’s painful past. They could be tattoos about gang membership, a stretch in prison, a toxic relationship or hate symbols.

The program has now been extended to include those of Ye.

Already, around 100 people had gotten in touch with NAAMA Studios via its website, said owner Melina Lawson. Two people had been selected and were receiving treatment, she added.

“It is a journey for the client, especially with any history on their tattoo, especially if you don’t like the tattoo or what it represents to you anymore,” said Lawson.

“It can be a bit sensitive to the client, but as they progress into the treatment, they start to change themselves. They can see that it’s actually being removed. They can be something else.”

The total cost of removing a tattoo averages 2,000 pounds (US$2,400), but varies according to the size of the ink and the number of sessions required.

But the social impact of a removal and the positivity it could bring to a client “is much bigger” than money, said Lawson.

“I was so pleased,” said Westgarth. “I’ve been looking to get it removed for about a couple of months now, and everywhere was so expensive.

“So when I’ve seen this opportunity, I leapt for this opportunity. And to get it for free. I can’t thank them enough,” she said.

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