David Blaine has broken the world record for holding your breath – live on TV.
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The American illusionist didn’t breathe for an astonishing 17 minutes and four seconds on The Oprah Winfrey Programme yesterday (30.04.08).
Before undertaking the dangerous feat, performed in a water tank, Blaine breathed pure oxygen to prepare, which is allowed under Guinness World Records rules.
Afterwards, he said it was a “lifelong dream” to break the record.
He said: “I really thought I was not going to make it. At minute 12 I felt the pain coming, and by minute 14 it was overwhelming. This was a whole other level of pain. I still feel as if somebody hit me in the stomach with the hardest punch they could.”
The previous record of 16 minutes and 32 seconds was set in February. Two years ago, Blaine went into convulsions and had to be pulled from a water tank during a similar stunt.
