Steven Frayne, aka Dynamo, has revealed he “couldn’t even shuffle cards” as he opened up on a debilitating health condition.
The British magician appeared on Breakfast on Wednesday (February 26) to discuss his upcoming London residency. While chatting to hosts and Jon Kay, Steven recalled his recent battle with Crohn’s Disease, which left him in excruciating pain and unable to perform simple tasks.
A bout of food poisoning, made worse by the Crohn’s, resulted in multiple long hospital stays and crippling arthritis all over Steven’s body. This made it difficult for him to get out of bed, leading to mental health difficulties.
“Steven, we haven’t seen so much of you recently. Where have you been? What’s been happening?” Sally asked on Breakfast.
“I was unwell for quite a while, but during that time of recovering in hospital and stuff like that, I’ve spent my time keeping busy and learning lots of new magic and trying, as much as I can, to keep the skills and magic alive,” Steven said.
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Steven Frayne appeared on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday (February 26) (Image: BBC)
“There was a time when I actually lost the ability to even hold a pack of cards, so to be able to hold them now means so much more to me. Whilst I was in hospital, I was kind of dreaming up new magic ideas and some of those ideas, I’ve put together to show in my new residency I’m doing in London.”
Following his prolonged health battles, Steven wanted to “start afresh,” so he decided to set up a new handle called Dynamo is Dead. He felt a lot of “pressure” to live up to the previous expectations of his alter ego.
“I think when you’re in hospital, and you’re known for doing incredible things, and this alter ego, Dynamo, walking across the River Thames and doing all of these incredible stunts, but then you find yourself lying there and not even capable of lifting your arms up or moving your body, the kind of pressure to live up to the expectation of Dynamo is too much,” he explained.
“So, I thought, ‘I need to get Steven better so that I can share magic again,’ so this is the first-ever Steven Frayne show.”
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Steven Frayne has suffered from Crohn’s Disease in recent years (Image: BBC)
Steven then admitted that his mental shift positively impacted his recovery, as it took off a lot of “pressure” from himself and the outside world, who are used to seeing Dynamo perform outlandish stunts.
He concluded: “I always felt, ‘Will my new stuff be what they expect?’ But now I’m having so much fun sharing the magic and I think they’re accepting the real person behind the magic, they’re accepting Steven, me for who I am, and that gives me comfort and makes me excited.”
Steven Frayne – Up Close and Magical will take over Soho’s Underbelly Boulevard from March 28 to May 11.
Performing for up to 200 people a night, five days a week, fans can experience Steven’s magic up close in an exciting and intimate environment.
Breakfast airs daily on One at 6am