Famous astrologer Mystic Meg, real name Margaret Lake, has died after a short illness aged 80, reports The Sun.
Margaret was an astrologer who had a regular astrology column in The Sun and News of the World as well as hosting Mystic Meg's Wheel of Destiny.
She came to public attention when she hosted what became a regular item on the first broadcast of the National Lottery draw in 1994. Her image also appears on various astrology-related books and merchandise.
Meg's agent Dave Shapland said: “Without any question, she was Britain’s most famous astrologer by a million miles. Nobody came close to Meg in that respect. She was followed by millions in this country and also around the world.
“She even became part of the English language – if a politician, somebody from showbiz or ordinary people in the street are asked a tricky question they will say ‘Who do you think I am, Mystic Meg?’
Mystic Meg was born Margaret Anne Lake on 27 July 1942. Of Romany descent, she was raised in a terraced house in Accrington, Lancashire, where her grandmother taught her astrology. She studied English at the University of Leeds, and joined the News of the World as a sub-editor, eventually becoming deputy editor of its weekend colour supplement Sunday. In the 1980s she changed her name to Eileen Anderson and became the paper's regular astrologer.
From 1994 to 2000 Mystic Meg appeared weekly on The National Lottery Live in 'Mystic Meg Predicts' – a 45-second reading during which Meg attempted to predict facts about the future winner.
In the first edition of the News of the World for each year, Mystic Meg traditionally made predictions for the coming twelve months. These predictions were a popular feature of the paper and garnered Meg many loyal fans.
In April 2015 Mystic Meg partnered with bookmaker Gala Coral Group and was the face of their Grand National "You’re Guaranteed a Fortune" marketing campaign. Images of Meg and her crystal ball featured in all of Coral's 1,850 shops via window posters and Coral TV
Meg owned a number of racehorses under the company name Mystic Meg Limited The horses included Astrodonna, Astroangel, Astronova and other horses with celestial names.
In 2015 Meg launched a website, featuring horoscopes, personalised readings and a telephone hotline hosted by a selection of her favourite professional psychics.
