Slimmers queue up to pay £250 for hypnotist McKenna's magic touch

More than 1,500 weight-loss hopefuls were today banking on hypnotist Paul McKenna giving them the secret of slimming success - at £250 a time.

The world-famous hypnotist was holding his sell-out 'I Can Make You Thin - Live' seminar at Birmingham's ICC.

Demand for the event was so high, an extra date has been added for May 29 with ticket prices more than halved to £99.

Audience members came from as far afield as London, Wales, Southampton and Somerset to the city centre conference venue and began queuing from 8am to get the best seats.

McKenna, a 46-year-old former radio DJ, promises people they will lose all their hang-ups about their weight and change the way they think about food forever with his psychological techniques.

One of those in the queue was enforcement officer Lynne Tandy, aged 58, of Dormington Road, Great Barr.

"I'm here because I want to become healthier," she said. "It's the first time I've attended anything like this and I'm looking forward to the challenge."

McKenna, who lives in Los Angeles, admitted making money from the weight-loss industry and laughed: "I have to earn a living and keep myself in the lifestyle I'm accustomed to. I wouldn't call it a seminar, more of an evangelical rally. It's very ra-ra."