Starvation stunt over

2003-10-19 23:44

London - New York illusionist David Blaine emerged on Sunday from 44 days of isolation in a clear plastic box, 23kg lighter and buoyed by crowds who had come to celebrate the conclusion of his self-imposed starvation stunt in which he dangled near the River Thames.

"This has been one of the most inspirational experiences of my life," Blaine said feebly, pausing and looking as if he might pass out.

"I have learned more in that box than I have learned in years. I have learned how strong we are as human beings."

Blaine shuffled as he took his first steps on solid ground, and was helped to a stage by attendants.

Cheering crowds filled the small park near London's Tower Bridge and lined both banks of the River Thames to see the 30-year-old New Yorker in the final few hours of his latest endurance feat in a 2.1m by 0.9m box.

Paul Kenny, a medic at the site, said Blaine would undergo blood tests at a private hospital and be given fluids intravenously before moving onto blended foods. It could be several days before he resumed eating solid foods, Kenny said.

"If you look at him he looks great, but I suspect he's been living on adrenaline," Kenny said.

The cheerful mood of the crowd on Sunday night contrasted strongly with some of the hostility which greeted Blaine earlier in his ordeal. His box has been pelted with eggs, burgers, and balloons filled with pink paint.

Blaine has previously been buried alive and encased in a block of ice, and says his latest feat is both the hardest and "the most beautiful" thing he's done. His box was said to contain only a quilt, a pillow, a journal, a change of clothes and a photo of his mother.

A medical briefing issued on Saturday said he was experiencing dizziness and nausea, and warned that he might die if he resumes normal eating habits too soon after his exit.

Before he entered the box, Blaine said he had bulked up to more than 93kg so he could survive on his own body fat.

Dehydration also was a threat, but Marinos Elia, a professor at the Institute of Human Nutrition at the University of Southampton, said the Blaine had been drinking enough water to prevent that. Elia had been monitoring Blaine's condition.

Skeptics have suggested Blaine could easily add some nutrients to his water, but the medical briefing said tests for alcohol, glucose and sodium had found nothing.

In the box suspended 12m above the River Thames' south bank, cold nights have had a draining effect on Blaine, and he has experienced shooting pains, dizziness, nausea and irregular heartbeats, Elia said.

- AP