THE ultimate accolade is being bestowed on Richard De Vere.

From this weekend a life-size statue of the top illusionist and his dog Schnorbitz will take pride of place at Blackpool Pleasure Beach on the Wonderful World building.

Made of bronze, it will both raise the profile of the star and his Mystique show and underline how highly De Vere is thought of at the fun park, where he is signed up to appear for the next few years.

Richard can't wait to see the final results which will be unveiled before the opening night of Mystique on Saturday (May 24).

"As far as I know it is the only full-size statue of a showbiz person," he said.

Seeing Richard De Vere surrounded by an army of fans today it's hard to imagine him as a "wimpy kid".

A love of the magical and mysterious has changed all that and turned him into a renowned illusionist.

"Magic was my saviour," he claims.

"Suddenly I was popular because I could do things no-one else could."

Richard got his big break in 1989 appearing on North Pier with Roy Walker, Norman Collier and Maggie Moon.

Now, he has firmly established himself as the star of the Pleasure Beach's Mystique show, much to the delight of his army of fans.

"People waiting outside for up to five hours just to say hello to me and the stage is full of flowers and presents," says a bemused Richard. "Pop stars have fan clubs, not illusionists."

In fact, he is so popular, a group of 30 people from out of town tried to track him down in Thornton where he has just bought a new house and lives with his dog Schnorbitz.

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