A lifelong Paul Daniels fan has proved that even life’s most difficult setbacks cannot make a dream disappear.
Paul Innes, 51, of High Spen near Rowlands Gill, has overcome a stroke and redundancy to build a new career as a professional magician. Today, he holds several national titles and has a growing calendar of performances—but his journey into professional magic began during a challenging period in his life.
Innes spent nearly 25 years working for O2 and the companies that preceded it. Although he had loved magic since childhood, it remained mostly a personal interest for many years.
Growing up during the 1980s, he was captivated by Paul Daniels and the magic he performed on television. That early fascination remained with Innes throughout adulthood, but it wasn’t until around 2018 that he began seriously learning and performing tricks of his own.
That same year, Innes suffered a minor stroke. During his three-month recovery, practicing magic gave him something positive to concentrate on. What began as a source of comfort and focus gradually developed into opportunities to entertain at family celebrations, parties and workplace events.
Another major life change arrived in 2023 when Innes was made redundant. After spending decades in the telecommunications industry, he suddenly faced an uncertain future.
Instead of allowing the setback to end his ambitions, Innes treated it as the motivation he needed to pursue magic professionally.
Since making that decision, he has earned multiple national honors and continues to fill his performance diary. His story is an inspiring reminder that an unexpected ending can sometimes become the beginning of an entirely new chapter.
For Innes, the health scare and loss of his longtime job did not make his dream disappear. They helped transform a childhood fascination with Paul Daniels into an award-winning professional career.
Based on original reporting by Will Foxx for The Northern Echo.
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