A CONTORTIONIST has helped staff deal with claustrophobia while working on a terrifying new underground theme park ride.

Pixie Le Knot, of Millais Road in Leyton, visited Alton Towers in Staffordshire to advise workers on Nemesis Sub-Terra, which takes riders on a deep subterranean drop.

The 24-year-old performer demonstrated how to deal with claustrophobia last week by squeezing into a box with three other performers.

She said: "It was good fun but to me the box seemed huge.

"Everyone seemed amazed but it was the easiest job ever.

"We got into it in a variety of ways and explained to them how to breathe steadily and to zone out to an extent to deal with claustrophobia."

The performer, who was recently a stunt double in Hollywood movie The Devil Inside, added: "I really don't like vermin, so working underground on the ride would probably be a problem for me."

To watch a video of the event please click here.

Click here to follow the Waltham Forest Guardian on Twitter