Illusionist Angel’s wife claims he deserted her

updated 3:38 p.m. ET July 2, 2007

MINEOLA, N.Y. - Criss Angel’s wife says the magic has gone from their marriage and she now wants to make him vanish from her life.

Angel, known for his “Mindfreak” show on the A&E network, subdued his sometimes flashy look for a court hearing Friday. But he flashed a bit of humor during a break, gesturing toward his estranged wife’s lawyer and saying, “I can make him disappear.”

Angel, whose real name is Christopher Sarantakos, and his wife, Joanne, 37, married five years ago, after a decade of dating, according to her lawyer, Dominic Barbara. But the magician kept his marriage quiet and then deserted his wife as he became famous and hasn’t given her “a cent” of his millions, Barbara said.

Angel’s lawyer, Elliott Wiener, said Joanne Sarantakos’ accusations of mental cruelty and abandonment were unfounded, and “the notion that she’s not being supported is simply not accurate.”

The 39-year-old punky illusionist dedicated his latest stunt — a seeming escape from a box encased in concrete and suspended 40 feet above the ground near Manhattan’s Time Square on June 5 — to “Shrek the Third” star Cameron Diaz. But he demurred when asked whether they were dating, telling AP Radio News they were “good friends.”

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Barbara told a judge he would aim to subpoena the 34-year-old actress in the divorce case.

Diaz’ publicist, Brad Cafarelli, said in a statement Monday that Angel was already separated from his wife when Diaz met him in May.

“Cameron and Criss went on only four dates over a month ago and have no current relationship,” the statement said. “These are meaningless, attention-seeking attempts to unfairly and unnecessarily exploit Cameron’s celebrity by trying to involve her in matters she has nothing to do with.”

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