TV magician Paul Daniels dies aged 77

Debbie McGee has said she and husband Paul Daniels had a "fairytale life" together as she paid tribute to him.

McGee, his wife of 28 years, thanked well-wishers for their support and said the pair had spent their remaining time together at home eating magnums, watching ITV's The Chase and spending time in the garden.

Speaking to the BBC, she said: "Our life has been full of laughter and that's what it's been the last few weeks. Up until the last 48 hours when he slipped into a sleep."

Choking back the tears, McGee added: "He never saw me cry. I smiled. I put my make up on and hair every day."

Paying tribute to Paul, she said: "The way to describe Paul was that, yes he did television shows and people knew who he was and he did shows for royalty and we flew around the world. You know we had a fairytale life and we were so happy together.

"But Paul as a person was like in the village, in the queue for the post office, either doing tricks on them or making them all laugh. And he was as happy doing that as he was walking on stage at the Palladium or doing a TV show or doing a show for the Royal Family. He loved people. He was interested in everybody."

Ben Hanlin has paid tribute to Paul Daniels, calling him "an absolute legend" and said he inspired him to become a magician.

The star of ITV2's Tricked said he first saw Daniels on TV at the age of six and from that moment aspired to follow him into magic:

Paying tribute to Daniels, Hanlin said: "He was so popular because he was an entertainer.

"He could do magic but also he brought wit, charm. He was funny, he was a great host and it was that that really made him an absolute legend."

Dynamo has said he "would not be doing magic today if it wasn't for Paul Daniels".

The magician said Daniels was a "massive inspiration" to him growing up and "like many people, I had a Paul Daniels magic kit".

He added: "He proved that magic could work on television. He was one of the best magicians in the world. He was a true master."

Daniels' good friend and one-time rival Uri Geller said he was "extremely shocked" to hear the news of his passing.

"I always thought Paul Daniels was invincible, but I guess we all have to face these things one day.

"What many people might not realise about Paul was that he was world-famous, not just in the UK. And of course, he will be greatly missed."

The BBC have said Paul Daniels was an "outstanding showman and one of the great entertainers".

Acting director Mark Linsey added: "His long-running magic show delighted viewers, as did his BBC One quiz shows Odd One Out, Wipeout and Every Second Counts and children's favourite Wizbit.

"He will be missed and our thoughts are with his family."

Paul Daniels' son tweeted a picture of a rabbit coming out of a hat with a tear rolling down its face in tribute to his late father.

Gary Daniels wrote: "It is with incredible sadness that I can confirm that Dad passed away overnight."

The TV magician died three weeks after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.