It’s not every day you get to visit the UK’s most celebrated female ghost hunter to try contacting the dead – nor can you expect to have a full-blown conversation with a loved one who’s passed on.
But that’s exactly what happened when I met Yvette Fielding. The former Blue Peter presenter and Most Haunted icon invited me into her quirky Cheshire home in a bid to show me the power of the spirit world.
“Speaking to spirits is a blessing,” she explains, as she whips up coffees in the kitchen. “It’s so important to give people comfort that their loved ones are at peace. They’re not gone – they’re in paradise but they’re also with you.”
For decades, Yvette and her husband Karl Beattie, 59, have been touring the country to find Britain’s eeriest hotspots in Most Haunted. The show has garnered Yvette serious status within the paranormal community, evidence of which can be seen in her downstairs loo in the form of awards and accolades.
Our mission for the day, using our collective positive energy, was to make contact with the spirits. Nerves began to mount as video cameras turned on and moody lighting filled the dining room, with its gothic-style green chairs and heavy oak table laid with flickering candles.
The scene was set and the cameras started rolling, then the séance began. Five of us – including Yvette and Karl, their daughter Mary, 22, myself and Yvette’s PR, Rob – placed our feet firmly on the lower beam of the table and spread our arms to touch the little fingers of our neighbours.
In my teens, my friends and I would watch horror films and tell stories about scary spirits. I’ve always been fascinated by, and open to, their presence.
A few months after Mum died, I’d feel a warm hand on my back when no one was home and I’d dream of her being alive and well. But Mum didn’t believe in an afterlife. “When I die, I’ll return to the earth,” she said. So when she passed away, I thought I’d never speak to her again. But I was wrong.
Yvette called for the spirits to make their presence known. A light knocking echoed through the giant table and a tiny, childlike whisper sounded in Yvette’s ear. After minutes of on-off weak tapping from the spirits, Yvette made an announcement.
“I think you need more energy, don’t you? Let’s all have a wine to loosen up!”
Within seconds, hearty measures of Hardy’s red were glugged into glasses (it was after midday!) and a water glass was placed upside down on the table.
“Now we’ve loosened up,” Yvette giggled, addressing the spirits. “why don’t you move this glass?”
With index fingers placed lightly on the upturned glass, we watched in awe as it slowly but surely shifted along the surface towards my chair. A spirit wanted to contact me – but who would it be?
Two years ago, my mum passed away from motor neurone disease at the age of 59. It was an incredibly traumatic disease for her and the loved ones who cared for her. For those two years I’d worried. Is she happy? Is she in pain? Where has she gone?
Thanks to Yvette – and her late dad Alan, who she says helps spirits make contact during a seance – I learnt that, yes, my mum is happy, pain-free and in a better place.
To make life easier for the spirits, Yvette had taken us to her garden shed – a more intimate space where activity is often experienced. What happened next made my jaw drop. I called out to Mum, stating that I was present, and heard strong, excitable tapping all around the shed. Eyebrows raised and mouth wide, I began asking for answers that only she’d know.
My favourite food Mum made me, was it salad? Silence. Fajitas? Silence. Lasagne and garlic bread? Cue excited, strong tapping. The whole room gasped in awe.
“OK, what about our favourite comedian?” I smiled. Sarah Millican was met with silence. Then, barely halfway through saying Victoria Wood, tapping sounded through the shed, like a starting car.
“That’s right!” I cried, tears of joy streaming down my face. I couldn’t deny it and nor could the others.
When she also spelt out her name, Amanda, there was no doubt I was speaking to my mum.
Yvette produced a pen and paper and wrote the alphabet along three lines. It was time to see if Mum had a message for me. Using her taps as a guide, Yvette wrote, “Miss you, stop being sad.”
Mum was no longer in pain. She was happy. When asked by Yvette what Mum felt when she died, she tapped out, “Bliss.” After every answer, the room erupted in awe. I finally had the answers I was looking for. We all cried as Mum’s tapping faded and she returned to her happy place.
“One of our worries when a loved one dies is whether they’re in pain,” said Yvette. “I’m confident there is life after death. Every time I ask spirits, ‘Can you give me a word to describe leaving your body?’, they say ‘Bliss’. They don’t want to come back – and that’s the closure we need.”
There will always be sceptics who will attempt to debunk evidence of life after death, just as there are hundreds of sham psychics who make money by preying on the bereaved. But what happened at Yvette’s was real. I believe I spoke to my mum. I believe she is happy and I believe that life on Earth is just the beginning.
I never expected to feel so much comfort from the experience. I wouldn’t suggest everyone tries to contact a loved one, but I came away feeling as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I plan on making contact again. I never stopped thinking about her, but now I know she’s right here with me.
