Tyson Fury gave Dynamo mental health advice when he didn't 'want to be alive'
Dynamo has opened up on his mental health after revealing he “didn’t want to be alive anymore” - and said he got some advice from an unlikely famous pal.
The magician is returning with a new one-off show after taking some time out of the spotlight. But he admitted the last few years had been “up and down” and at one point he “didn’t think he was good enough to do magic anymore”.
Appearing on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, the 40-year-old shared: “I think the new show is about me finding my magic again. The last few years, I’ve had my ups and downs with my health, both physically and also mentally, to the point where I didn’t think I was good enough anymore.
“My body was shutting down, my brain was shutting down to the point where I couldn’t really perform magic to the level that I used to be able to and that was a bitter pill to swallow for me. It kind of took its toll on me.”
The magic star said he stepped away from the public eye a little bit “just to kind of regroup”. During that time he hung out with boxer pal Tyson Fury, who has been open about his own struggles with mental health.
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Unlikely pal Tyson Fury, pictured with wife Paris, helped him overcome his struggles (WireImage)Detailing their unlikely friendship, Dynamo said: “I went to Tyson Fury’s gym and I was filming magic with him. We were talking really candidly about his mental health struggles, how he overcame it and what he does to cope. The thing is, when you come from a working class background, like me and like Tyson, you’re often told when you’re growing up, you don’t talk about your problems. You have to suck it up, you know, be a man.
“I think it’s the wrong advice. And, you know, when people see someone like Tyson opening up in the way he does in the show, I think that will hopefully help them if they feel like they are too proud to maybe go and ask for help to actually get the help.”
Asked how bad his mental health got, Dynamo said: “It got to a point where I didn’t really see the point in being alive anymore. I think for me, losing my connection with my audience, not doing magic, I don’t really see the point of me being alive. And if I can’t do magic, then what it the point of my existence? That’s kind of what I thought.”
His new show Dynamo Is Dead: Buried Alive will be available to watch on Sky Max and NOW TV from December 14, but the Bradford-born star - whose real name is Steven Frayne - revealed he is not sure if he will return to using his stage name ‘Dynamo’ after that.
Asked if he was killing Dynamo off, he said: “I’m not really sure. A lot of people are always going to refer to me as Dynamo. But at the end of the show I’m burying myself alive [in a stunt]. And I’m doing this live on the 14th . So after the show plays out on TV, stick around because at the end there’s a live element to it, where we’re going to cut to me live at my burial site.”
Branding it “probably the most dangerous stunt in magic”, he said the trick was “cleansing” for him as he faced his mental health struggles “head on” and added: “Because I can’t open my mouth. I won’t be able to breathe, which seems like what it feels when you’ve got the weight of the world on you. And literally the weight of the world will be on me.”
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or visit their site to find your local branch
*Listen to The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X weekdays from 6.30am to 10am on Global Player
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