Blaine finishes 'gyroscope' stunt

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American illusionist David Blaine has completed his latest stunt, escaping from a gyroscope hanging above the streets of New York City.

After spending two days spinning inside the device, he took a short time to free himself from shackles around his waist and feet.

He then fell 40 ft (12 metre) through a wooden stage before emerging to limp his way into a New York taxicab.

The stunt was to raise funds for the Salvation Army charity.

The three spinning steel rings of the gyroscope flipped Blaine in various directions up to eight times per minute for just over 48 hours.

Dizziness

"It's actually harder than I thought it would be," he said as he removed the shackles from around his waist.

The shackles were added to Blaine after two days in the gyroscope. He then had 16 hours to free himself.

Before beginning the stunt, the illusionist had said his biggest concerns, besides not eating or drinking, were the freezing weather and dizziness.

The three rings could spin Blaine in any directionBlaine will now lead 100 underprivileged children chosen by The Salvation Army charity on a shopping spree.

He said the stunt was important to him since The Salvation Army had provided him with clothing when he was a child.

Blaine's previous stunts have included balancing on top of a 100 ft (30 metre) pole, spending 61 hours inside a block of ice and fasting for 44 days in a box over London's River Thames.

Earlier this year, he spent a week in a water-filled globe in New York. He failed to break the world record for holding his breath at the end of the challenge.