Dynamo ‘almost gave up magic’ after family tragedy

Dynamo will be performing his most dangerous magic trick so far(Picture: Sky)

Dynamo will be burying himself on live TV for his latest and most daring magic stunt yet.

The 40-year-old magician will dig his own grave, before covering himself in dirt so he ends up six feet under.

The two-hour special which will end with the dangerous trick, will mark Dynamo’s first major TV show since 2020. His break from the spotlight marked a difficult period in his life, where he spent time questioning if he wanted to continue with magic after losing an important person from his life.

The TV star, real name Steven Frayne, told Metro.co.uk: ‘My nana and my dogs died in the same weekend just over a year ago. It crushed me.

‘My mum had me really young, and my nana was my second mum. When she died, I felt like the magic in me died with her. I felt like I didn’t have a reason to live.’

Talking about his special connection with the matriarch, Dynamo gave an insight into how she shaped his life.

‘My grandpa taught me magic and got me into it, but my nana was the one who took me to the magic shop, nurtured me, and took me to magic conferences and magic competitions.’

The death left him wondering if he wanted to continue with his magic career.

‘It was a combination of not feeling like I wanted to do it, and physically not being able to because I’ve got Crohn’s disease which has been plaguing me for quite a few years,’ he explained.

Dynamo was diagnosed with long-term uncurable inflammatory bowel disease at the age of 15.

‘Not being able to physically use my body the way that I used to impacted my mental health. I didn’t see what my purpose was in life, and along with losing nana it all compounded.

‘I just felt like “What is the point in my existence if I can’t do magic?” That’s my voice. That’s how I communicate with the world. And if I can’t do it, then there’s no point in me being here. It got pretty dark. I was up all night just drowning in my own sorrows.’

Dynamo questioned his existence (Picture: Sky)

The turning point came when his wife Kelly Frayne ‘forced’ him to get therapy. Chatting to a professional about his struggles is not something he ever expected to do.

‘Going to therapy is a weird thing for someone like me. When you grow up in a council estate you’re surrounded by men who say “We don’t talk about our feelings, we have to suck it up.”

‘You can feel it’s a sign of weakness to ask for help but one thing I’ve realised on this journey is that by accepting weakness, you’re giving yourself the strength to overcome something.

‘I am learning to accept that it’s okay to be a little bit broken.

Dynamo’s wife of 11 years convinced him to get therapy (Picture: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace)

‘I felt that my nana would want me to continue and keeping her legacy alive is what’s important,’ he concluded.

His experiences mean that the Dynamo we’ll see on the upcoming TV show will be different, as he felt that a rebrand was necessary to reflect who he is today.

‘I didn’t feel like continuing as I was before because I’m not that same person anymore,’ he explained.

Now, he’s even considering losing his magician name: ‘Maybe it’s time to put Dynamo to rest with nana and move forward to something new.’

As well as the live burial, there will be pre-recorded chats and magic tricks with Kate Beckinsale, Peter Davidson, Tony Hawk, Kesha, Bugzy Malone, Cara Delevingne, Tyson Fury, Demi Lovato, Coldplay, Raphael Rowe, Jonathan Goodwin and Steven Bartlett.

The stars, who all inspired Dynamo with their own ways of dealing with adversity, will be taking an active role in the series.

‘I am physically incapable of performing some magic myself and so I was inspired to create magic for other people to do it.

‘A lot of the magic isn’t performed by me, it’s performed by the guests. Kate and Tyson both create magic, but they don’t know how they’ve done it.’

During his epic career, Dynamo has squeezed through a tiny gap in the fence on America and Mexico’s border and walked on water.

Tyson created magic under Dynamo’s guidance (Picture: Sky UK Limited)

He even seemingly levitated above the Shard, dangling 1,016ft above London between the two upper points of one of Europe’s tallest buildings.

Despite his impressive stunts, he still feels nervous before beginning each show or stunt but feels ‘safe’ once he begins.

‘I’ve never been comfortable walking onto a stage but when I start performing magic, something inside me comes alive. I realised that’s what I live for but all the other things that come with it I find overwhelming.

‘When I’m not performing magic I’m scared of the entire world. I’m quite an introverted person.’

He continued: ‘I don’t think I was necessarily ever built to have all these eyeballs on me. It’s a scary thing. I’ve been a recluse for the last few years, but now I’m ready to embrace who I am and create something magical to inspire audiences.’

Dynamo levitated in 2014 (Picture: Dynamo)

The stakes are particularly high for his December stunt and so he’s been practicing the burial, which he describes as ‘horrible.’

‘The crazy thing is when I first decided I wanted to do this in 2021, I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to be alive and I didn’t care if I got out so I didn’t feel like I had anything to lose.

‘Now we’re here in 2023 and I’ve realised I’ve got so much to live for. I just need to take that strength to be able to dig myself out.

‘If I don’t get out, I’m dead,’ he stated.

With such high risk involved, it’s unsurprising Kelly wants him to stop: ‘My wife is not too pleased about it. She wants me to come home.’

As Dynamo prepares for his big return to TV, he reflected on his previous stunts and fans may be shocked to learn his favourite piece of magic was a relatively low-key occasion on Tinie Tempah’s tour.

Created for Panasonic’s YouTube in 2010, Dynamo removed Tinie’s sunglasses from his album artwork, astounding the tour crew.

‘It was just one of those moments where the magic and time came together to create something unique. I’ve kind of done an evolution of it with Tyson Fury,’ he teased.

‘I’ve had such a crazy career that I never could have imagined.

‘I’m a kid from a council estate in Bradford who just wanted to do magic but when my grandparents introduced me that bug hit me instantly and I’ve never wanted to do anything else.

‘It all goes back to the first piece of magic my grandpa showed me when I was 11. He had a box full of matches, then he made them all disappear. I still don’t know how he did it.

‘Magic is the one thing I do that makes me feel safe, makes me feel alive, and sharp enough to put myself in uncomfortable positions.’

Dynamo is Dead will air live on Sky Max and streaming service NOW on 14 December in the UK.

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Dynamo is back after taking a break from the limelight.