DAREDEVIL Johnny Strange has carved out a living that would baffle any careers advisor.

From sword-swallowing and lifting barrels with his ears, to slicing apples in his mouth with a chainsaw, the Blackburn-raised entertainer has perfected dozens of dangerous stunts and spent the last few years performing all over Europe.

His exploits have also bagged several slots in the new Guinness Book of Records.

The 25-year-old, whose parents live in Lammack, said: “I started juggling when I was at school, and just progressed from balls, to knives and fire, and then chainsaws. It was just for fun at first, but then I was thinking I could make a career out of it, and now it’s my full-time job.

“I’ve been performing since 2009 and do a lot of shows in London and Europe, at things like festivals, weddings and charity events. It’s not the ideal career path, but my family have always been really supportive.”

Johnny, who now spends most of his time on tour, recently set the first official Guinness World Record for ‘the most apples held in own mouth and chainsawed in one minute’, and also holds the records for ‘the most animal traps released on the body in one minute’ and ‘the heaviest weight lifted by pierced ears’, after lifting a 14.9kg barrel.

He added: “I’ve never had any accidents. It normally takes about two years to bring a trick to the stage. The sword swallowing took three years of practising every day.”