John Evans’ stunts include balancing a 350lb Mini Cooper and 225 pints on his bonce
Britain’s strongest granddad has celebrated his 100th world record by balancing a 14st crown on his head – at the age of 75.
John Evans has raised more than £250,000 for charity over four decades with his death-defying act as a professional head balancer and reached his new milestone a fortnight ago.
Despite being blind in one eye, diabetic, and suffering from angina, the dad-of-two has completed stunts including balancing a 350lb Mini Cooper on his head, a ladder with a woman sitting on a bike on each end, and 101 house bricks, weighing 30 stone (190kg). For other lifts, he has managed to support 225 pints of beer, 380 toilet rolls, 96 empty milk crates, and 400 cans of 7 Up pop.
To celebrate his 75th birthday, John carried a 90kg red and gold crown on his head during an event at Rutland Sports Park in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, two weeks ago.
Grandfather-of-three John, of Ilkeston, said: “It was a special moment. It’s nice to say I have 100 world records. It is a thing I thought I would never achieve.”
On the day of the event John said it was “quite windy” which made the stunt even more difficult: “It is terrible trying to carry objects on your head when there is wind.”
“The difficult part”, John said about balancing the 5ft crown on his head was the “sheer weight of it”.
“I balanced it for about ten seconds and walked around – for someone who is now 75 and blind in one eye, has angina and diabetes, I think it is good going.
“I went for king-themed outfit as well because I suppose you could say I am the ‘King of Head Balancing’ now.”
After the covid pandemic, John said it was “just nice to be out balancing again”.
Over a period of 40 years, John’s bizarre act has been featured on Britain’s Got Talent, Children in Need, and the American Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Despite now achieving 100 world records, John says he has no plans to slow down and will re-use the crown to help celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee later this year.
He added: “When I’m balancing, it feels like nothing is there. It’s like heaven and all you can hear is the applause from the crowd.
“There is still nobody else in the world at my age that can do what I can do.”
While happy to bank his 100th record, John isn’t stopping: “If anything I’m hoping these 100 world records is going to be a springboard for further events.
“I have eight shows booked for the summer and I am going to re-use the crown for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”
The 20 stone former builder, who has a 60.9cm neck, first realised he had a talent for balancing heavy objects in the 1960s when he was working as a labourer.
John devised an 18-inch piece of floorboard so he could carry 24 bricks and balance them on his head – whilst climbing up ladders.
After realising he had competition from former World’s Strongest Man Geoff Capes – who had managed also to lift 24 bricks – John went on to lift a mammoth 36 bricks.
His astonishing feat soon attracted media attention from the UK and around the world and he still remains a TV host for the German Guinness World Records programme.
He added: “I have had an amazing career so far, all this from just carrying bricks when I was a bricklayer’s labourer when I was 18.
“My neighbours thought I was weird at first but I’m renowned for it now all over the world.”
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