Blaine nearing end of starvation stunt
Illusionist David Blaine was entering the final stretch of his starvation stunt today with reports he has suffered palpitations and breathing difficulties.
For the last 42 days the American magician has been suspended in a glass box next to London’s Tower Bridge with water apparently his only sustenance.
Now boasting a straggly beard and wild hair, Blaine spent much of yesterday huddled up against the cold.
His spokesman said he plans to stay in the box until tomorrow – although he said he was “not in the best of health”.
He said: “David changes every couple of hours but he is suffering from breathing difficulties and severe palpitations.
“He also gets blurry vision. His goal is to aim for Sunday.
“He has been focusing on that all week and he has passed his final weekend, but there are still risks to his health.”
Sky One, which has been filming Blaine’s progress, said an estimated 250,000 people would have visited the site between September 5 and the end of the stunt at 9.30pm on Sunday, when the self-styled Houdini is expected to be released from his glass cell before a crowd of thousands.
“We will lower the box right down to the floor during the show,” the spokesman said. “It will then be tilted to the side and David will come out of the box.
“Whether he walks out or he has to be assisted, we will have to wait and see.
“He will then be put on a stretcher and taken off in an ambulance to a private hospital.”
In the immediate aftermath of his quest, Blaine will gradually build up his strength with mineral supplements and foodstuffs, his spokesman claimed.
“He won’t be able to start eating properly for some period of time,” said the spokesman. “He could be in hospital for a few days or more than a week.”
He said the magician could take as long as six months to recover his muscle strength and be fully restored to fitness.
Eleven policemen were disciplined after sneaking off their beat in Newham, east London, to watch the magician on Thursday night, Scotland Yard said.
Five experienced officers received formal written warnings, while six less experienced colleagues escaped with verbal warnings, a spokeswoman said.
