Tattoos, muscles, overalls and a buzz cut are definitely Mike Holmes' trademarks, but have you ever noticed the celebrity contractor's earrings?
Yup, both of the Canadian's left and right ears are pierced and he sports gleaming diamond studs. But if you think they are meant to display rebellion or even wealth, you'd be wrong. Both have a very special meaning, especially the one on the left.
It's a tribute to his dad.
Holmes grew up in the east end of Toronto and his dad, Jim, started teaching him home renovations, starting at the age of three.
“In my eyes, he was Superman,” he says on his website. “I talk about my dad all the time…sometimes I get the feeling I talk about him too much, but he is the inspiration behind what I do, for sure.”
Tragically, Jim passed away at the young age of 55.
"As he was walking down a narrow staircase with no handrail into the basement, he missed the first step and fell," Holmes' site explains. "As he tumbled down the stairs, he broke his neck and died instantly. Shortly after his father’s death, Mike’s younger brother suggested to him that he get his left ear pierced in memorial to his father. Mike thought it was a great idea, and he bought a pair of matching diamonds. He had one made into what would later become his trademark left stud, and set the other aside for a later date."
Holmes didn't get his other ear pierced until years later, to commemorate the work he did in helping restore New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
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