Sun-worshiper, 37, is refused a mortgage because he spends £300 a month buying illegal tanning drugs from China which he injects to give himself darker skin

  • Karl Dinis's loan was withdrawn when brokers found out he uses tanning drugs
  • Mr Dinis says bankers found out he spent thousands on his tanning addiction
  • The 37-year-old spends £200-£300-a-month buying tanning drug Melanotan

Karl Dinis (pictured) claims he has been stopped from getting a mortgage because of his obsession with tanning

Karl Dinis (pictured) claims he has been stopped from getting a mortgage because of his obsession with tanning

A sun-worshiper has been refused a mortgage because he spends £300 a month buying illegal tanning drugs from China which he injects to give himself darker skin.

Karl Dinis, who admits he is a 'human solar panel' because of his bronze dedication - says bankers found he has spent thousands of pounds on his tanning addiction.

He said: 'My mortgage broker rang me and she said: 'They have declined the application because they Googled you.'

The 37-year-old has gone on daytime TV shows such as This Morning and magazines telling of his obsession with staying bronzed.

He said: 'Because I am a public figure and because of the tanning injections they have declined my application. They say I do not fit the criteria.'

Council worker Karl has spoken openly about his tanning addiction and referred to himself as a human solar panel.

He spends £200-£300-a-month on buying illegal tanning drug Melanotan online from China which he injects himself at home in Llanishen, Cardiff.

He was planning to buy a three-bedroom house for £80,000 and had an agreement in principal with Kensington Mortgages - who later tore up the agreement ahead of the sale.

Karl Dinis pictured with partner Dru Maidment
Karl Dinis had to sell a horse and his car to fund the ddeposit

Karl Dinis (pictured with with partner Dru Maidment, and on his own, right) had to sell a horse and his car to get the £10,000 deposit for his house

Mr Dinis said: 'I am absolutely fuming - I thought I was going to be moving into the house next month. Everything was in place for me to move in, I was just waiting to sign the paperwork.'

He said his finances were in order and he had sold an Audi TT and a horse for £3,000 to help raise £10,000 for a deposit.

The tanning obsessive said: 'I am furious. I have got rid of things to accommodate for this house and mortgage and now at the last minute they tell me they are not giving me a mortgage.

'The main reason I got rid of the Audi was to buy this house. I had three horses, and I sold one Duke, for £3,000 to go towards the deposit.

Mr Dinis, (pictured) has gone on daytime TV shows such as This Morning and magazines telling of his obsession with staying bronzed

Mr Dinis, (pictured) has gone on daytime TV shows such as This Morning and magazines telling of his obsession with staying bronzed

WHAT IS MELANOTAN?

Melanotan is a synthetic hormone used for tanning that works by increasing the levels of melanin, a natural dark pigment in the skin.  

This pigment is part of the body’s natural response to the sun, and increasing levels of melanin results in skin darkening or tanning. 

There are 2 types of Melanotan – Melanotan I and Melanotan II.

It is currently illegal to sell tan injections such as Melanotan, as this product is unlicensed. 

Melanotan is illegal in the UK because it has not been tested for safety, quality or effectiveness and no one knows what the possible side effects are or how serious they could be.

The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) tests medical products in the UK. They are warning people not to use Melanotan and they say that the product is being 'advertised and sold illegally'.

Source: Cancer Research UK and NHS.

Advertisement

'It is terrible - I am still in the same position but without some things that meant a lot to me.'

 Karl has previously told how he became hooked on Melanotan after noticing the effect it had on pale skin and switched from using sunbeds to injecting into his leg.

He said: 'In the first four days of using it, I could already notice a difference.

'You only have to be in the sun for a short amount of time for it to take effect - it's like you become a solar panel.

'Having a constant tan makes me feel so much more confident in myself, the tan never fades and I always feels healthier with a glow.

'I'm not concerned about the health warnings, I have used it for long enough now that I think I'd know if there were going to be any long terms effects.'

Lenders Kensington Mortgages said: 'Due to client confidentiality and data protection legislation we are unable to share any information in relation to the application.

'We would never reject an application on the basis of a Google search, we factor in a number of components that determine an individual's eligibility.' 

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.