US showman David Blaine is to swap his plastic box by the River Thames for a hospital ward when his 44-day starvation stunt ends today.
Filthy, unshaven and complaining of black-outs, Blaine will be taken to hospital by ambulance to begin what he describes as the most dangerous stage of his feat.
"The hardest part is when you come out and you are brought back to nourishment," he told Reuters Television in a recent interview.
The illusionist will build his strength slowly with mineral supplements before tackling solid food, a spokesman said.
Blaine has been suspended in a see-through box beneath a crane next to London's landmark Tower Bridge since September 5, apparently with no food and only one tube for water and another for urinating.
The 30-year-old New Yorker said it was more dangerous than his previous stunts when he was buried alive in a glass coffin and encased in a giant block of ice.
Organisers said on Friday that Blaine had suffered breathing problems and heart palpitations. He will be slowly lowered tonight at 9:30 p.m.