Winstanley

In the late 1980s, Ms Lloyd was studying at a school of mime in London where she befriended magician Jenny Winstanley.

Ms Lloyd had worked as Miss Winstanley's assistant at gigs but hadn't performed magic on her own, so had to learn.

Rather than being scrutinised at the Magic Circle's headquarters - which Ms Lloyd and Miss Winstanley deemed too risky - Ms Lloyd opted to invite the society's examiners to a performance at a working men's club.

When Ms Lloyd and Miss Winstanley later heard the society was going to begin accepting female magicians as members, they decided to come clean about their deception and approached the press.

"The Magic Circle was furious," Miss Winstanley told CBC at the time.