Paul Daniels has been diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour.
The veteran TV magician and entertainer’s family confirmed the news of his diagnosis on Saturday morning.
Paul Daniels
In a statement, his publicist explained: "We can confirm that one of our greatest magicians and entertainers of all times, Paul Daniels, has sadly been diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour.
"On behalf of Paul, Debbie [McGee, his wife] and their families, we thank you for your kind concerns and support at this sad time and ask that their privacy continues to be respected."
Paul is best known for his work as a magician, having made his TV debut in an episode of ‘Opportunity Knocks’ in 1970, where he finished in second place.
In the late 70s, he appeared on the BBC series ‘For My Next Trick’, eventually landing his own magic show ‘The Paul Daniels Show’, which ran for 15 years until it went off the air in 1994.
He also had his own show, named after his catchphrase, ‘That’s Magic’, during which time he worked with Debbie McGee as his assistant, who he would eventually go on to marry.
More recently, Paul became better known for his appearances on various reality TV shows, where he was often accompanied by Debbie.
Together, the pair competed on the only celebrity series of ‘The X Factor’, as well as on ‘Celebrity Wife Swap’ and the notorious Channel 5 series, ‘The Farm’.
Paul also competed in the 2010 series of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, where he was partnered with professional ballroom dancer Ola Jordan.