Magician Dynamo sues KFC for £200,000 over ‘uncooked chicken’ he claims gave him food poisoning

The Abandoned Room Presents Dynamo's Magic Speakeasy At The Mandrake Hotel - After Party
Dynamo pictured with Cara Delevingne at the Mandrake Hotel in 2018
Dave Benett

TV magician Dynamo is suing the owners of a north London KFC for more than £200,000 over an alleged bout of food poisoning that left him in hospital.

The 37-year-old Magician Impossible star says he was left doubled over in pain and needing urgent treatment after eating a meal at the Belsize Park eatery in summer 2017.

Dynamo, real name Steven Frayne, has previously spoken about the incident, blaming uncooked chicken, which hit him particularly badly as he has Crohn’s disease.

The magician is now suing the franchisee owners of that KFC branch for damages “in excess of £200,000”.

“(He) claims damages for personal injuries which (he) sustained as a consequence of his having consumed a meal on June 27, 2017 from the KFC in Haverstock Hill,” the writ states.

“The said injury was caused by the negligence and/or breach of duty by the defendant.”

The action is being brought against Alim Investments Ltd, a company based in Ruislip, which is said to own and run the KFC as a franchisee.

Frayne, who lives in Hampstead, has dazzled a host of celebrities over the years, including Kim Kardashian, Karlie Kloss and Cara Delevingne.

In early 2018 he opened up about his struggles with Crohn’s when images of his noticeably changed face emerged. He revealed he had been struck down by illness the previous summer and suffered badly with arthritis.

“I’ve been keeping a bit more of a low profile as I got really sick and ended up in hospital last summer due to a really bad type of food poisoning, which having Crohn’s disease and food poisoning — very bad combination,” he said in the self-shot video posted online.

He talked of side effects that he was still struggling with eight months on, including a “bad type of arthritis which has kind of affected all of the joints in my body... which really sucked as a magician when you can’t shuffle a pack of cards because your hands are in so much pain”. 

He said in interviews that steroid medication for his condition had brought on weight gain and a rash across his body, and he claimed to be able to pinpoint the cause of the alleged food poisoning.

“I know exactly what it was that caused the food poisoning,” he said. “It was chicken. I know where I got it from. I’ve got the receipt.”

He had the meal after performing a show at the O2, he said, finding himself a few hours later “in the bathroom in the worst pain you can imagine, vomiting uncontrollably”.  

He lodged the legal claim at the High Court in June through solicitors Russells but the writ has only just been made public.  

Alim Investments Ltd, represented by Kennedys Law, has not entered a defence to the claim, and the case has not yet come before a judge.  

The parent company of Alim and lawyers representing the firm were approached for comment by the Standard.

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