Diminutive magician and anarchic, couch-destroying firebrand, Issy Simpson, recently did her thing on The Ellen Show. The nine-year-old mentalist performed her two signature tricks, leaving host, Ellen DeGeneres, flabbergasted. 

Simpson, who has been dubbed the, “real life Hermione Granger,” for obvious reasons, shot to national fame when she appeared on Britain’s Got Talent and made it all the way to the finals at just 8 years old. 

The tiny magician’s heritage did generate some controversy, when it was revealed that her grandfather and magic tutor, Russ Stevens, had previously coached contestants on the show. Some suggested that Simpson got her place on the show via nepotism rather than by her skills as an entertainer. 

According to British rag, The Daily Mail, a reliable source inside the show had this to say on Stevens and his granddaughter:

He is well known in the magic world as the main magic man behind the scene on Britain’s Got Talent. I have no idea why he is doing this. Surely the grand-daughter of the person in charge of magic performing a self-working routine she’s taught by him isn’t right?’ 

Not one to let a child get away with appearing on a televised talent show, the same source also argued that Simpson’s gimmicked props were “too expensive,” when compared to the tools used by other contestants.  

The young magician was knocked out of the competition in the final stage, but is already well on the way to establishing an enviable magic career. Earlier this month she made her US TV debut.