O'Neal comes clean about tattoos

New York -- Actress Tatum O'Neal, who is facing drug-possession charges in New York, says she has tattoos to honor her family and her goal of sobriety.

The 44-year-old "Rescue Me" actress said one of her three tattoos represents her children, Kevin, Sean and Emily, who she had with tennis star John McEnroe, the New York Post reported Sunday.

"I have always wanted to show my kids how much I love them. And I love their names," the actress said of the tattoo on her right bicep.

The former "Paper Moon" child star said the tattoo serves as a reminder in her ongoing battle for sobriety. The actress has struggled with drug addiction and was arrested last Sunday by an undercover police officer while allegedly attempting to buy cocaine.

O'Neal told the Post her tattoos, which also include a shark tooth pattern and a lotus, were all physical reminders of her life's struggles and accomplishments.

"My tattoos are hidden, and I almost never show them. I got them as an act of some sort of independent expression that my body belongs to me," she said of her body art.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.