"Princess of Pain" breaks records by hammering nails in her nose and rolling frying pans

A circus performer nicknamed “The Princess of Pain” broke a string of world records by pulling off some dangerous stunts and displaying her incredible strength.

Daniella D’Ville (UK) loves adding a bit of shock and awe to her performances, and did exactly that when we spent the day with her in London.

Demonstrating her unique skills, Daniella was strapped into a straitjacket and suspended upside down, cracked a whip to remove the petals from flowers and even hammered nails up her own nose.

And her efforts certainly paid off as she walked away with four Guinness World Records certificates.

She told us: “Generally, I like to take Victorian sideshow and circus stunts and bring them to the modern day.

“I like to let audiences escape for a bit, be distracted from their lives by seeing something really bizarre or dangerous or shocking they’ve never seen before.

“If I can gross them out occasionally that’s just a plus.”

She added: “The acts that I perform day-to-day on stage, I love to challenge myself and see if I can use them to break Guinness World Records titles.

“I’ve always collected the books, so if you get to be in one – super exciting.”

Looking sensational in a leopard print two-piece and fishnet tights, Daniella took to the stage at the Phoenix Arts Club, in London, alongside Guinness World Records Adjudicator Juliet Dawson for a day of record breaking.

First, she attempted the tightest frying pan roll (female).

Using her incredible strength, Daniella curls the edges of the pan and rolls it up like it’s nothing.

With a widest diameter of 18 cm (7.08 in), she claimed the title.

After a quick outfit change into another stunning ensemble, Daniella came back to the stage to attempt the most flowers sliced with overhead whip cracks in 30 seconds.

With a table of red roses laid out in front of her, Daniella picked one up at a time, raised it above her head and expertly spun the whip round.

See more amazing stories like this on our Human Body News page.

She broke the record with a total of 19.

She said: “I’m really excited about this record. Whip cracking didn’t come naturally to me, I’ve spent a lot of years practising to get that quick.”

Next, she was strapped into a straitjacket and pulled up into the air by her feet.

Her first attempt was too slow by milliseconds, prompting her to try again.

In just 7.07 seconds, she claimed the record for fastest escape from a straitjacket in suspension (no chains) (female).

She said: “This was a tough one but I wanted it so bad because Harry Houdini is such an inspiration to me.

“So to achieve a stunt that he originally performed, I’m incredibly happy!”

Finally, Daniella, in another incredible bejewelled outfit, attempted the most nails inserted into the nose with a hammer in one minute (female).

She had to fully insert each nail and show the Adjudicator before pulling it out and doing another one.

She managed 15 and somehow still looked glamorous while she was hammering nails up her nostril.

Daniella rounded off her record-breaking day with a little Halloween surprise she had prepared for us.

After carefully hammering another nail into her nose, she attached a decorative bat with the words “trick or treat” written across it.

We love it. Happy Halloween, Daniella!