12 March 2023 , 13:01
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A magician was rugby tackled by a man who got upset about him performing an intimate trick with his partner.
Ben Murphy was millimetres away from locking lips with a volunteer passenger during a show on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas cruise on March 1.
In the clip, which was recorded by a member of the audience, Murphy and the woman sit next to each other on the stage as he uses his mouth to bite a card which has been wedged between her lips.
As part of the cheeky routine, he leaned in and tenderly touched their cards together.
But someone wasn't a fan of the performance, rushing on to the stage and tackling the illusionist to the ground.
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Murphy's face lights up in terror as he was taken down.
Ben Murphy, who was attacked by a man thought to be the passenger's partner (@thebenmurphy_/Instagram)
The woman became enraged and pushed the attacker away (@thebenmurphy_/Instagram)The enraged woman pushes the attacker away before he scurries out of view of the camera.
Posting the footage on his Instagram, Murphy said: "Entertainment, comedy and magic are NOT contact sports."
"This guest should not have been allowed to enjoy the rest of his cruise."
The magician and illusionist said he wasn't approached for a statement until a week after the crime.
He was bizarrely told the seven-day delay was because there were no witnesses, despite the packed seats on the night.
Murphy said the attacker should have been chucked off the cruise (@thebenmurphy_/Instagram)The incident sparked uproar on social media, where users, including eyewitnesses, shared their horror.
One wrote: "We were in the audience for this and my jaw nearly hit the floor…. Feel sorry for not only you, but the poor wife and kids who saw the whole thing."
Another chimed in: "We were in the audience and it was absolutely nuts!
"We assumed he would have been locked in his cabin for the rest of the cruise and I'm fuming if he wasn't!
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"You did an amazing job continuing on with the rest of the show. Hope you're doing ok."
Last month, a family paid tribute to their "salt of the earth" dad after he tragically dropped dead in front of his horrified wife on a cruise ship.
John Thompson, 74, was visiting Honolulu on a luxury holiday with his wife when he fell ill during a meal and collapsed.
Emergency services were called and worked frantically on John before he was rushed to hospital for further treatment, but medics were unable to revive him.
His grieving family has now been told they face medical bills in the region of £30,000 after issues were raised with his travel insurance.
John's son Dale Thompson, of Burnhope in County Durham, said: "On the day of travel my dad must have noticed there was not something not right with the insurance once they were through customs.
"It said they were covered until the 2nd and not the 22nd but why would they only need three days of cover.
"I spoke to my parents and said to just take it easy on holiday and not exert themselves so they wouldn't break a leg or sprain an ankle. Dad has always had health issues but nobody was expecting this to happen."