Carrie Ann Inaba Reveals Her Japanese Tattoo Is Spelled Wrong — and Has a Very NSFW Meaning
Carrie Ann Inaba is hilariously speaking out about a tattoo mishap that led to her getting a very saucy phrase written on her ankle.
On Friday’s episode of The Talk, Inaba, 51, explained while touring with Madonna as a dancer in 1993, she made a “rash” decision to get a tattoo in Japanese.
“I thought it said ‘courageous love’ and I was like that’s so cool,” Inaba said.
It wasn’t until years later that Inaba realized the kanji she had put on herself permanently had a very different meaning.
“I’m in Japan many years later and these girls were like ‘he hehe’ and I go, ‘I know, courageous love, cool right?’ and they were like, ‘Rough sex.'”
Inaba then lifted her leg to show the audience, as well as her co-hosts Sheryl Underwood and Eve and guests Nikki and Brie Bella, the ink.
“I need to fix it,” Inaba said.
Over the past few months, Inaba has spoken candidly about matters going on in her life. From her tattoo regret to her ongoing health battles the Dancing with the Stars judge is an open book.
Six years ago, Inaba was diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia (IDA).
Earlier this month, Inaba spoke to PEOPLE about her condition explaining, “Some people start to feel like I did, like, ‘Oh maybe I’m just getting old, and this sort of the beginning of the end.’ I was like, in my early forties and said, ‘Is this what happens to you? Am I just going to get really lethargic and not be able to do anything and be incapacitated?”
After feeling frustrated and debilitated, Inaba finally consulted with her doctor and did a blood and iron panel, and found out about her low hemoglobin and iron levels. IDA was something Inaba had never heard of, but she learned that the condition affects nearly five million adults in the U.S.
Now, Inaba works with Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. and their Get Iron Informed campaign to raise awareness of IDA and urge others to go see their doctors about a possible diagnosis.
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“Once I was diagnosed, it’s like I got my life back,” Inaba said. “I am so grateful. There’s a blessing in some of these health conditions because it gives you a greater awareness of your own health. It makes you take care of yourself and realize it’s a very important component of a healthy lifestyle is to see the doctor regularly, make sure that you’re keeping up all your checkups and getting the right tests.”
Along with balancing the ups and downs of her health, Inaba is getting used to her job on The Talk, which she officially joined as permanent co-host in January.
“Every day waking up is very different for me,” said Inaba.
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“I have never had to do that before for a job, like waking up at a certain time and having this, sort of, very specific schedule. This schedule is more demanding on me than any schedule I’ve ever had before, besides maybe when I was on tour with Madonna, but that was only three months,” she recalls.
“What I notice is that I am very careful, and that’s what I was saying earlier about the gift of when you have health conditions is, I’m very careful and I’m always aware of how much, how my energy management is,” says Inaba, who is featured in PEOPLE’s 2019 Beautiful Issue alongside her cat Mimi. “So if I’m not feeling well or if I’m starting to get a little tired, I really take good care of myself, I rest.”
