In an exclusive shoot and interview with HELLO! magazine, Debbie McGee has revealed she is auctioning off magical items once owned by her late husband Paul Daniels. More than 600 lots will be available for his fans to buy and enjoy next month.
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“I don’t need to hang on to all of this – my memories are what I have,” explains Debbie, speaking from her house on the Thames in Berkshire which she once shared with the famous illusionist. “For the magical world to have even a little something of Paul’s is a big thing.”
Some of the more sought-after items on sale will be his tricks – including Debbie’s favourite, the Geometrix. “It’s a typical magician’s box with swords which go through the front and back, but also down the sides,” she says.
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“When you look at it, it’s impossible for me to be in there, but Paul would wheel it round the stage to prove there wasn’t a trap door. Then he would quickly pull out the swords and open the door. And there I would be, still shackled inside! Even magicians couldn’t work out how his tricks were done.”
Debbie was married to Paul for 28 years and the pain of losing him after his death at the age of 77 in 2016 is still raw.
More than 600 lots will be available for his fans to buy and enjoy next month
“What grief counsellors tell you is that it’s not that time heals, but that you have to build a bigger life around your grief,” she tells Hello! “And that’s how I feel. I had this amazing life with Paul, and going through all this stuff reminds me of everything we did. I led a princess life. Usually if you’re in a double act, when one partner goes, the other one struggles. The strength of the two has gone.”
However, she says that taking part in Strictly Come Dancing with dance partner Giovanni Pernice in 2017 gave her a new lease of life. “I had the best partner in Giovanni, and I was back in showbusiness again. “People knew who I was before, but I was still the magician’s assistant. Since Strictly I’ve been Debbie McGee in my own right.”
For more on the Paul Daniels Magic & Entertainment Auction on 23 and 24 November at Special Auction Services in Newbury, go to www.specialauctionservices.com
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