They say the camera never lies. But it does bend the truth a little.

A death-defying picture of a fitness guru using only his abs to dangle from a cliff edge is impressive, just not as impressive as it looks.

The picture of Luis Fernando Candela hanging off a cliff above a Brazilian beach 1,000ft below has been doing the rounds on social media.

In the image, he stretches his legs around the top side of the rock and uses his upper body strength to hold himself up.

But those familiar with the beauty spot where Candela performed his stunt will know that he wasn’t risking his life to pose for the picture.

It was taken at the Pedra do Telegrafo, high above Rio with amazing views of the city. The spot also has something of a magic rock.

Tourists queue for hours to pose for pictures on the rock, and if the picture is taken from the right angle, it appears that they are on the edge of a huge drop. In fact, the rock is only a few feet above a plateau where they can stand up.

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That hasn’t stopped Pedra do Telegrafo from becoming one of Rio’s go-to spots, and hundreds of people post their cleverly cropped pictures online to show how brave they are.

Although some forget the ruse and include the ground beneath the rock in their pictures to destroy the fantasy.

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