Magician Dynamo has revealed that children at his school thought he was a "demon child" because of a trick he did.

The Bradford-born performer, real name Steven Frayne, said the rumour started after he began doing his first stunt, taught to him by his grandfather to help him deal with bullies.

It involved asking a person to lift his slight frame off the ground, then using their own weight to prevent them from being able to do it, the 31-year-old told a Sunday newspaper.

"They started spreading rumours that I was a demon child, so it worked in a way, it got people to leave me alone," he told the paper.

"But it also scared people away from me and made me a bit of a loner."

Dynamo has built up a huge following using social media and counts David Beckham, Will Smith, Jay Z and Sir Paul McCartney amongst his fans

Dynamo grew up on the Delph Hill housing estate in Bradford and attended Wyke Manor School. He has previously spoken about how as a thin, sickly child he was targeted by bullies.