Dynamo has revealed he has put his magic career "on hold" as he struggles with the side effects of Crohn's Disease. The magician, who was diagnosed with the health condition when he was 14, said he has developed arthritis in his hands which has affected his ability to perform.
"I've put on a lot of weight and one of the main impacts for me is it's given my arthritis which for a magician not being able to use my hands like I normally would," Dynamo said during an appearance on BBC News on Wednesday. "I'm working with physio and the doctors to try to get the right medication and treatment to come back on and show you some new tricks and new magic."
© Photo: InstagramDynamo has developed arthritis which has put his career on hold
However, Dynamo – real name Steven Frayne – is determined not to let his illness hold him back too much, and recently visited Lebanon to help Syrian refugee children get a better education, with the trip filmed for his new documentary 72 Hours.
STORY: Dynamo reveals impact of Crohn's Disease in new photo
"It's something I've wanted to do for a long time but had commitments with my career I had to do," he said. "It gave me the freedom as I wasn't able to perform much magic... it focused my mind to not think about my illness but about other people."
The magician has gained weight as a side effect of his medication
He continued: "I wasn't able to perform much magic because of my illness so it allowed me to go out there and take a bit of time, do something to help other people and really focus my mind on not thinking about my illness and thinking about helping other people. Being out there, it really put into perspective, what Syrian children and what Syrian families are having to go through. Makes my illness feel like nothing in comparison, and it kind of helped put it in perspective for me."
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Dynamo revealed in March that his battle with Crohn's Disease had changed his appearance drastically, saying that steroids had caused him to gain weight. Crohn's disease is a long-term condition that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system. The exact cause is unknown. There are currently at least 115,000 people living with the condition in the UK.
