Tony Cowell talks to DOI’s Ben Hanlin
Magician and former Tricked presenter Ben Hanlin, 33, will be bringing some magic to Dancing on Ice in the semi-final next Sunday. Ben, who has children Elvis, two, and Delilah, eight months, with wife, Briony, talks about his time on the hit show, reveals why he first became interested in magic at school – and opens up about the nightmare of watching doctors fight to save baby Delilah’s life, after she was diagnosed with the potentially life-threatening condition, sepsis.
You’ve done so well on DOI! Judge Christopher Dean predicted you could go all the way...
I thought I’d be at home watching it on the telly by now. But you’re only as good as your last skate. There are three spots in the final, so I’d like to think I have a chance. You’ll know by the time you read this whether I was right!
Why did you sign up?
It’s one of those shows I’ve looked at for years, but had always been too busy. I also thought I don’t want to fall and break my wrist, because I need it to perform magic tricks. But there was a temptation to try something new. You don’t realise just how much work is involved – since the New Year I’ve spent seven days a week on the ice. It’s mad, but worth it.
How important has your pro skating partner, Carlotta Edwards, been?
She’s amazing. I’ve spent more time with Carlotta than I have with my wife and kids in the past few months! I said to her on day one: ‘Look, you are the boss, so tell me if what I’m doing is good or bad.’ She’s very honest with me and helps to focus my energy.
What about the judges’ comments?
When they big you up you feel amazing, but I admit I’m not very good at receiving criticism. Early on, I didn’t feel Ashley (Banjo) or John (Barrowman) were particular fans of mine. My performances were quite stiff, a bit like a robot on ice. But I ended up winning them over and that means the world to me.
Your baby daughter recently had a terrifying battle with sepsis....
Yes. I wasn’t going to come out and talk about this until I knew Delilah was over the worst. Thankfully, she’s 100 per cent better now, but it was a huge shock. I didn’t know what sepsis was when she fell ill [it’s a dangerous condition in the blood that can cause multiple organ failure, amputations and even death, if not treated in time], but my wife called an ambulance because her temperature was 103 and her skin was mottled. The hospital gave her amazing attention and they left us to sleep on the floor, while the doctors treated her through the night. Things like this end up putting your life into perspective. One minute, all I cared about was the scores I’d get from the judges – the next, I realised my daughter may be fighting for her life. When it comes to your kids, nothing else seems important. It was a real wake-up call.
Is it true you got into magic as a shy schoolboy?
Yes. I became obsessed with illusionist David Blaine in the Nineties and thought he was
the coolest thing I had ever seen. I was desperate to learn magic, so I started secretly practising at the back of my classroom. At school, I eventually realised I wasn’t a particularly good-looking kid – I wasn’t great at football, I wasn’t in a band – so I began to practise my magic and found I could stand out a bit. So, yes, it did help with the girls and building up my confidence. Every teenager needs something to latch on to – and for me, that
was magic.
You found fame on YouTube – how did that happen?
I quit my job as a recruitment consultant and moved back home with my parents to try to give the magic thing a go. Dynamo paved the way on TV, along with Derren Brown. I started making films on YouTube and Facebook, where I would stalk celebrities and doorstep them with magic tricks. I first got Fearne Cotton, then Michael McIntyre through his car window. I then got carried away and went to Hollywood and got Quentin Tarantino and Mickey Rourke. This was seen on YouTube by a TV production company, and the next thing was I had my own show on ITV2 called Tricked, where I pranked people such as Gemma Collins and Rylan Clark-Neal. I love magic, but I wanted to do something different with it.
You’re on tour later this year. What can fans expect?
Oh, just me, doing my comedy magic! Seeing it done live is quite different to TV. So I hope people will be surprised at what I can do on a live show.
For details of Ben Hanlin on tour and tickets, visit livenation.co.uk
‘I was frightened, because I didn’t know what sepsis was... It puts everything into perspective’