Steven Frayne, better known as Dynamo, has opened up about his struggle with a debilitating health condition that left him unable to even shuffle cards.
The British magician joined BBC Breakfast on Wednesday (February 26) to discuss his upcoming London residency. During the conversation with hosts Sally Nugent and Jon Kay, Steven shared his recent battle with Crohn’s Disease, which resulted in excruciating pain and hindered him from performing simple tasks.
A severe case of food poisoning, exacerbated by his Crohn’s, led to multiple lengthy hospital stays and crippling arthritis throughout Steven’s body. This made it challenging for him to even get out of bed, leading to mental health struggles.
“Steven, we haven’t seen so much of you recently. Where have you been? What’s been happening?” Sally queried on BBC 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 responded, reports the Express.
“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.”
After his health struggles, Steven decided to “start afresh” by creating a new Instagram account called Dynamo is Dead. He shared that the “pressure” of living up to his alter ego’s reputation became overwhelming.
“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 said.
He continued, “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.”
Steven also acknowledged that changing his mindset positively affected his recovery, easing the “pressure” from both himself and his audience, who were accustomed to Dynamo’s extraordinary feats.
He added: “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.”
His new show, Steven Frayne – Up Close and Magical, will run at Soho’s Underbelly Boulevard from March 28 to May 11, offering fans a chance to witness his magic in a personal and thrilling setting, with performances five nights a week for audiences of up to 200 people.
BBC Breakfast airs daily on BBC One at 6am