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'The secret to our fabulous marriage? Sex!'

Paul Daniels lies on the bed, eyes closed, wearing nothing but a pair of crisp white Armani underpants, while wife Debbie McGee pouts provocatively in saucy black underwear.

Debbie – barely recognisable in a black cropped wig and smoky make-up – falls out of character for a second and glances up, saying: “Paul, have you fallen asleep?”

There’s a long pause. Has Closer’s shoot, transforming the couple into Posh and Becks, taken its toll on the 70 year old?

“I’m still here,” Paul chirrups in his familiar sing-song voice. “Being a hunk is tiring you know.”

Magician Paul Daniels and his stage sidekick and wife, “the lovely Debbie McGee,” have often been ridiculed for their 20-year age gap, unashamed devotion and cheesy television appearances. But the couple, who’ve been together for 30 years and married for 20, couldn’t care less.

“One of the secrets to our marriage is that we make each other laugh every day,” smiles Debbie. “That and my sexual ability,” adds Paul. “Debbie says we’ll stay married until I get it right!”

Today the pair are only too happy to send themselves up – by recreating the sexy Armani underwear shoot of another famous couple, David and Victoria Beckham.

“We bumped into the Beckhams about four years ago in Manchester,” says Paul. ‘They were surrounded by their bodyguards and paparazzi but couldn’t have been nicer to us.

“The shoot sounded like fun and we’re big fans of the Beckhams, so why not?”

And while he may not have the God-like physique of Becks, 5ft 5 Paul seems perfectly at ease with his body, happily sauntering around the room in nothing but his pants.

Meanwhile Debbie, 50, has every reason to be proud of her size 8 figure. But she admits she was stung when unflattering bikini pictures of her holidaying in Barbados with Paul appeared in the press recently.

“When I heard about it I said to Paul: ‘Do I need to go on a diet?’” admits Debbie. “They made me look fat but I’m not! I admit I usually put on a few pounds over the winter.”

Loyal hubby Paul responded to the criticism by posting his own snaps of Debbie in her bikini on his blog, including a close-up of her boobs. He says: “I wanted people to see how well Debbie really looks. She always looks beautiful to me.”

Debbie, 5ft 1, proudly reveals she has “never been over 8st” in her life – thanks to regular exercise and a healthy diet.

“I’m always on the move,” she says. “I try to go to the gym two or three times a week. In the winter I tend to be about 4lbs heavier – usually I’m 7st 10lbs but I’m nearer 8st now.”

She adds: “Paul and I don’t eat rubbish, but sometimes when you’re on the road you have to make do with fish and chips.”

And Debbie admits that in 20 years of marriage, Paul’s never cooked a meal. “I don’t mind at all,” she insists. “I love cooking, he hates it. If I’m away he would go for days just nibbling on toast.”

Paul nods in agreement. “I just forget to eat,” he says. “Debbie’s a fabulous cook. I think the only thing I haven’t liked in 20 years was parsnip and banana soup.”

Debbie’s also in charge of their wardrobes. “I hate shopping for clothes so Debbie does it,” Paul admits. “Although I don’t like everything she buys. I just won’t wear it!”

Sadly, Debbie’s given away most of the spangly outfits she wore as Paul’s assistant. “They’ve gone to charities – I had hundreds,” she says. “Now I have about 40 evening dresses that I wear on stage.”

The couple met 30 years ago (“12 May, 1979, it was lust at first sight,” sighs Paul) and still work together. They live in Henley, Oxfordshire, and are busy juggling magic shows, writing, TV and radio projects.

Paul has three sons from his first marriage and two grandchildren. But he and Debbie decided not to have children – and have no regrets.

“I knew that having children would mean I would be left at home while Paul was away touring,” says Debbie. “I didn’t want that. We have plenty of children in our lives who bring us lots of joy so we’re happy as we are.”

And the couple admit they still fancy each other as much as ever. “You don’t expect the lustful passion of the early days, but we haven’t let it die,” says Paul, who famously admitted to bedding 300 women before he met Debbie.

“We’re still passionate. What can I say? We like sex.”

Surprisingly, Paul says he could probably forgive Debbie if she strayed – although he’s quick to point out she never has.

“If Debbie wanted to go and have sex with somebody else, but it was nothing to do with love, we could maybe work it out,” he says.

Similarly, Debbie admits if the same thing happened with Paul: “We would try to work it out.”

And, as the diminutive pair prepare to leave our shoot, it’s doubtful anything could ruin the magic between them!

By Fiona Cassidy