Dynamo thanks NHS for saving his career
The magician formerly known as Dynamo has said he would not have been able to return to performing were it not for the NHS.
The 42-year-old, whose real name is Steven Frayne, who suffers from both Crohn's disease and arthritis, said the pain in his joints became so severe he "could not even hold a pack of cards".
He praised the "magic" of the NHS, who helped him manage his health, and recalled the moment he decided to "bury Dynamo" and re-start his career under his real name.
Speaking at Advertising Week Europe 2025, the Bradford-born performer added: "I resonate with what the NHS does because I would not be performing again without their help."
Frayne was diagnosed with Crohn's disease as a teenager, and later, with arthritis, which had made him feel "like everything I cared about was just being taken away from me".
"But in that moment... I realised the magic is actually in everybody else - in the people that lifted me up, in the NHS that helped me, and I started to focus on the magic in other people," he said.
Frayne's health troubles compelled him to take a two-year break from his career.
After symbolically burying himself alive in a show entitled Dynamo Is Dead, in 2023, Frayne has returned to performing, and is currently in the middle of a residency at Underbelly Boulevard Soho in London.
"It's the first ever show I've ever done as myself, not as Dynamo, and it is a very personal show to me," he said.
"For me it's about creating a show that showcases my magic - and also incorporates the magic of other people - because a lot of the magic in the show is made up by the audience members as we go along, so the show is different every single night."
"It's super intimate, but it allows me to really connect with people. I can see every single person's face," Frayne continues.
"There's moments where every single person in the audience is part of the magic at the same time."
Earlier this year, Frayne headlined RISE, the opening event to mark the inauguration of Bradford City of Culture, in which he performed to a live audience of 10,000 people.
Speaking at the time, he said: "I don't think any of us in Bradford ever saw this coming, and I think it's very needed.
"There's so many parts of Bradford that need support. Some of the areas haven't had the love and support they needed to bring them up to speed," he added.
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Dynamo works his magic as Bradford becomes City of Culture
Dynamo: Magician Impossible
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Edmonton Oilers WAGs party in Greece while team fights for Stanley Cup
The better halves of the Edmonton Oilers celebrated the team's thrilling Game 1 overtime win on Wednesday night – it just wasn't anywhere near where the contest was taking place. In fact, the WAGs of the Stanley Cup finalists were about as far away from Edmonton as you can possibly be: Partying in Greece. However, the women do have a good reason for the getaway: The bachelorette party for Celeste Desjardins, fiancee of Edmonton superstar Leon Draisaitl. The ladies' journey has been well-documented by Lauren McDavid, the wife of Oilers captain Connor McDavid, on her Instagram Stories, sharing snaps on the plane and at their sunny destination. And she confirmed they didn't miss out on the Game 1 action, watching the game from the plane. While the party in Greece is to celebrate Desjardins, there was even more reason to cheer for the bride-to-be after Draisaitl scored the overtime winner to give the Oilers the early series lead. Lauren McDavid did note the timing of the trip was a bit less than ideal, considering what their hubbies are up to at home. 'PSA – when the bachelorette falls on less than ideal timing but we will be back for the good stuff!!' Lauren wrote Wednesday night. 'Go Oilers!!!' Desjardins also shared a snap of Mikayla Nurse, wife of Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse, on her Instagram Stories, writing 'We're reaaaaady!' Desjardins, a Sudbury-born actress, announced her engagement to Draisaitl, a Hart Trophy finalist, last July. It appeared doubtful that the beauties will be back in Edmonton for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, with the puck dropping in Edmonton on Friday night. Both Desjardins and McDavid shared more snaps of their Greek adventures on their social media accounts Friday morning, including one pic of the ladies enjoying a boat ride. As for the boys, they are looking for revenge from last year's loss to the Panthers in the Cup Final, which went the full seven games and nearly saw the Oilers mount an incredible comeback after going down 3-0 in the series. After Game 2 in Edmonton, the series shifts to Sunrise, Fla., for Games 3 and 4, on Monday and Thursday. Sportsnet ripped for bizarre Stanley Cup promo using AI to turn announcers into babies Johnny Gaudreau's widow surprises Blue Jackets' Sean Monahan with Masterton Trophy
Cosmopolitan
8 hours ago
- Cosmopolitan
Addison Rae Makes Intimate Live Debut at NYC's Iconic Club The Box — Review
Addison Rae lost herself and found herself again. With the release of her highly anticipated debut album, we saw a rebirth right before our eyes. Rebirth, rebrand, reintroduction—whatever you call it—the Louisiana-born TikTok dancer transformed into one of the most promising pop acts of the current age with the release of 'Diet Pepsi' last summer. Since then, skeptics and day 1 superfans have tuned in to watch her every move, whether it's because of the push-and-pull of her sexy girl next door persona or her slinky hooks and booming production from her collaborators, Luka Kloser and Elvira Anderfjärd. So, when I got word that Addison and Spotify were hosting a rare live show on the eve of her album release, I knew I had to be there. Especially because it would technically be her first official live performance of tracks from her self-titled debut album. She took center stage at New York's famously sleazy and glamorous nightclub, The Box, which acted as her playground for the night. The room was filled to the brim with magazine editors, late-night producers, and devoted fans who waited hours for a glimpse of the star. Bushwick's elite even crossed the bridge to Manhattan to capture the newly minted pop princess in all her glory. As aerial artists and dancers donned lingerie underneath burning disco balls, I brushed shoulders with Addison's star-studded stan list, from Julia Fox, Richie Shazam, and Amelia Gray to Conan Gray, Lola Tung, and Clairo. The intimate inauguration marked a new beginning for Addison. As she opened her set with 'Fame Is a Gun' in a kitschy satin bed, bated breaths escaped the lips of attendees who couldn't take their eyes off her. The mic was on, and soon enough, she treated fans with her original cabaret-inspired 'musical theater' rendition of 'High Fashion.' Her it girl-in-crime, Lexee Smith, served a campy, melodramatic poetry reading in Louboutins in between one of her outfit changes as a makeshift interlude until Addison returned for a particularly transcendental moment. When the opening notes of 'Aquamarine' trickled through The Box's theater, not one word was missed by fans. I even overheard a friend over my shoulder say, 'This song is so gay.' (Complimentary. Not in the way that would prompt Hilary Duff to pull her allyship card.) As Addison hit her marks in a flowy bright blue mini dress, we not only found catharsis on the dance floor—she did, too. In 2021, I covered the early days of Addison's crossover from TikTok to real-world fame at Seventeen, and I'll admit it: I was always intrigued by her essence, but I wasn't totally sold on 'Obsessed' once it dropped. It wasn't until one of my best friends dragged me to our living room to catch her performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that I locked in and saw her for what she truly was: a small-town girl aching for the life of a big-city star. Let it be known that this was the moment she unlocked her potential as a Main Pop Girl in my eyes. From then on, I fully understood her vision. When most of her catalogue leaked in 2022, I clicked play for research purposes and fully became hooked by the following summer. Before her 7-track performance last night, she teased what could come from the Addison Rae live experience, making cameos with her close friends and collaborators on multiple occasions. There was the 'Von Dutch' remix at Charli XCX's pre-brat Boiler Room set in Brooklyn and their post-brat performance on Coachella's main stage, her 'Arcamarine' stint during Arca's more intimate set in the desert, and, of course, 'Diet Pepsi' with Charli and Troye Sivan's Sweat tour stop at Madison Square Garden. These moments inched us closer to the glittery dance pop world of Addison, yet we didn't see the star fully in her element. Until now. She's no stranger to a Britney Spears comparison—in fact, she seems to fully welcome it, knowing they're both hometown heroes in Louisiana—but she pays homage to her heroes. In interviews, she's openly named Britney, Madonna, Prince, and Michael Jackson as influences. On her tongue-in-cheek satirical number, 'Money Is Everything,' she wistfully sings about her dream blunt rotation with Lana Del Rey and Lady Gaga after name-dropping Norma Jean. It's abundantly clear she's at the top of her class as a pop culture student, and she's well on her way to becoming a teacher. She no longer has to dream of being seen, because all eyes are on they'll stay there. Stream 'Addison' on Spotify
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Regina sisters embrace Ukrainian dancing at Mosaic and Japanese language at home
When audience members watch the Ukrainian dancers at this year's Mosaic festival, they may be forgiven for assuming that the dancers all speak just English or Ukrainian. But Kiko and Maya Malnyk have the heritages they've inherited from both their parents — learning Ukrainian folk dances from their father's side and speaking Japanese with their Japanese-born mother. "I sometimes think that maybe I'm a little bit special …because not a lot of people are just part Japanese and part Ukrainian," 11-year-old Kiko said. That's something their mother said she tries to get her two daughters to understand and appreciate. "I just keep telling them that they're lucky. They're just lucky that they have so many opportunities to learn," said Izumi Kanayama, adding they get to grow up in Canada and try things like Ukrainian dancing, but also get regular opportunities to visit her own home country of Japan. The girls' father, Chris Malnyk, has also seen how diverse the Ukrainian dancers are, bringing together people who don't necessarily have Ukrainian ethnicity or background. "There's quite a few people from Japan who are involved in it, at least three families," said Malnyk, adding that he could hear Japanese spoken at rehearsals at times. "It's really kind of unique and not what I would have expected going to a Ukrainian dance school. It's been multi-ethnic." Kanayama was born and raised in Japan before coming to Canada in 1995 to learn English and staying on to study economics. It was at the University of Regina that she met her husband through mutual friends. She exclusively speaks Japanese with her daughters so that they can communicate with their Japanese grandparents and extended family. "When they were little, I was just speaking to them in Japanese only. So we didn't do much writing or read that much, but then they just picked it up," Kanayama said. In addition to their Ukrainian dancing, both girls attend Japanese language classes on Saturdays, and even sit to eat meals at a kotatsu, the traditional low table. "We usually eat traditional Japanese food," said Kiko. "I really like it." Both parents feel that their children are fortunate to be able to see and embrace both sides of their cultural heritage. Kanayama said she wants her children to see it gives them opportunities other people may not have, and will help them become kind and productive humans. "I'm just hoping that exploring a different culture will bring richness to their lives."
