'Never again' promises Blaine

ILLUSIONIST David Blaine has vowed "never again", after spending more than a month without food in a glass box over the Thames.

With just a few of his 44 days of self-imposed solitude remaining, the New Yorker said the feat was "so much more difficult than anything else I have ever done."

"It's been really cold, and when you are starving, your body only produces one-third of its heat," Mr Blaine told CNN news, via audio link

"It's been 40 degrees Fahrenheit some nights. It's really hard to sit, and all of my muscles are really weak.

"This whole thing has been so much more difficult than anything else I have ever done ... And I don't think I can do anything like this again," he said.

Mr Blaine has endured ridicule from the public, with eggs and golf balls hurled at his glass box, which is suspended near Tower Bridge.

Spectators have cooked food nearby, and bared their breasts or buttocks at him. Other ill-wishers have banged drums and made other attempts to keep Mr Blaine awake at night.

He said the backlash was a "little scary" at first, but he grew used to it because "it's to be expected".

Mr Blaine denied that the stunt was simply a trick, saying: "No, I am really here doing what I said I was going to do. I have never decided to do anything for this length of time.

"Here, basically, I am a human being on display to all kinds, at all times," he said.

Despite his low spirits, Mr Blaine said he was determined to complete the stunt, which has been branded dangerous by doctors. He is expected to lose two-and-a-half stone during the "art" performance.

"I am just climbing a mountain, and trying to get to the top. God willing, I'm sure will," he said.

The best aspects of being alone in the box were "the faces, the moon, the sun, the rainbows, the clouds, everything," he said.

The Metropolitan Police have said Mr Blaine will be asked to pay the cost of policing the act once it ends.