Dynamo 'lost the will to live' as he battled Crohn’s disease

Dynamo has confessed he 'lost the will to live' as he battled a severe Crohn’s disease flare-up before getting the chance to return to TV with 'Dynamo is Dead'

Dynamo

Dynamo "lost the will to live" as he battled Crohn’s disease.

The 40-year-old illusionist - whose real name is Stephen Frayne - was diagnosed with the inflammatory bowel condition as a teenager and a number of nasty flare-ups over the last few years forced him to step away from the spotlight to focus on his health - and the star has now admitted the crisis plunged him into a deep depression.

He told the Sunday Times newspaper: “You take magic away from a magician, and you lose your sense of purpose. The last five years, maybe even longer, I've at times lost the will to live.

"Certain things in my life made me feel that I couldn’t be myself, made me doubt myself, made me feel, like, what is the point in my existence?"

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The TV star eventually sought professional help at the insistence of his wife Kelly after he went through a number of “self-harming incidents” in November 2020.

He explained: “When my wife found me after some of my self-harming incidents, she was the one who really got me the help I needed."

Dynamo started therapy and has been working with doctors and physiotherapists to help get him back to full strength ahead of his return to TV.

He will be back on the small screen for the first time in four years on Thursday (14.12.23) with 'Dynamo Is Dead' - a star-studded special in which he will attempt to free himself after being buried alive - and he admits he's looking forward to getting through the stunt in one piece.

He said: "Right now, I feel happy to be alive. Albeit … I'll be ultimately happier when I come out of that grave. Touch wood. "

Dynamo added: “I felt conflicted because, on the one hand, I can do the most impossible thing over here, but on the other hand, I can’t get myself out of bed.”