David Blaine has defended himself following widespread criticism of his Benito Mussolini twatdangle above New York's Wollmann ice rink - a daredevil 60-hour upside-down endurance marathon which actually saw the Brooklyn media strumpet take breaks to drink water and empty his bladder.

According to the BBC, Blaine told US TV show Live With Regis and Kelly: "There's no way to relieve yourself and not put everybody beneath you at risk."

Blaine explained that his rehydration breaks were necessary because he'd been fasting, and insisted that if he'd eaten during the stunt he would have required longer "real breaks" in the khazi.

He admitted he'd found the challenge tough from the off, recounting: "At the end of the first day I thought I wasn't going to make it. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I didn't want to disappoint everybody, so I kept pushing and going as hard as I could."

He also claimed that ABC - which televised the spectacle - tried to dissuade him from making his final 44-ft "death leap" because of high winds. However, being the trooper he is, Blaine said he "wasn't going to let everybody down, so I just jumped".

Well, the good news is that Blaine has weathered the controversy and is working on his next stunt. He declared: "I know that I'm going to work my hardest and make it the most incredible thing that I can."

One of our commenters has already suggested he may be planning a truly epic feat: To survive for a month without any publicity whatsoever - something which would surely prove fatal... ®

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