It’s not every day you get to visit the UK’s most celebrated female ghost hunter to have a go at 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 us into her quirky Cheshire home in the hope of showing us the amazing power of the spirit world.
“Speaking to spirits is a blessing,” she explains, whipping up coffees on the kitchen counter. “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 haunting hotspots and scare the pants off viewers watching from the safety of their sofas.
The show has garnered Yvette serious status within the paranormal community, evidence of which can be viewed in her downstairs loo in the form of multiple awards and accolades.
“Oh yes, the house is haunted,” she chimes while pulling down balloons and banners from ancient wooden beams and urging guests to eat leftover chocolate cake.
“Sorry, it was my 54th birthday. Karl, can you get the ouija board out of the van?”
Among the streamers and bright birthday cards sit incredible artefacts showing off the home’s centuries-old history – including a mummified cat found under the bathtub.
“We removed the cat once and all hell broke loose. Everything that could go wrong did. It was placed there to protect the house, so there it will stay,” Yvette states, very matter-of-factly.
Other house guests include the spirit of a Cavalier called Charles Deacon – murdered by the Roundheads during the English Civil War – and two small children called Master Benjamin and Elizabeth.
“When we moved in 20 years ago, we’d hear knocking at the door but there’d be no one there and we’d find the kitchen chairs stacked on top of the table in a pyramid,” recalls Yvette, who has two grown-up children.
“At night we’d wake to a little voice chanting ‘Mummy’ but the kids were fast asleep.
“Mum won’t stay here because she was woken up by a man in black standing over her and she heard someone screaming in the utility room, trying to get out.”
Yvette isn’t comfortable with being home alone either and sets a few boundaries to make sure things don’t go bump in the night.
“I tell them, ‘I’m on my own and you know I get freaked out, so be nice,’” she laughs. But sometimes, the cheeky spirit children have other ideas.
“Recently, I was home alone watching TV and heard creaking floorboards outside the bedroom door. I whipped my samurai sword out from under the bed [thinking it was a burglar] and shouted, ‘There’s nothing for you here, go away.’”
That’s when she realised it was Elizabeth. “I was so shaken and scolded her out loud. Those floorboards never creaked again. But in the next seance, the spirits tapped out ‘Elizabeth was scared, apologise’. So I had to say sorry!”
While the house does have its creepy moments, there’s no bad energy. Every spirit is good – and that includes Yvette’s late father, Alan, who died after suffering a heart attack in 2008.
Yvette calls him her guardian angel, who helps spirits make contact during a seance.
“We set a place for him at the table on my 40th birthday and heard lots of knocking, and when we later looked back at photos taken that day, we saw a blue orb above my head. We zoomed in and we were stunned to see Dad’s face.
“I know nothing bad will ever happen to me because he’s right there by my side. I often chat to him out loud and he’ll make noises in return. Once, he called me a skinny cow for dieting and told Mum she had nice tits! He was a real character and that hasn’t changed.”
The spirit world became a huge part of Yvette’s life when she signed up for Most Haunted in 2002. For 25 seasons, the spooky show followed Yvette around historic sites in the hope of catching spirits on camera and she now invites fans to special ghost-hunting events around the country.
“Most Haunted scared the pants off me, too,” she admits. “I’ve always feared that a spirit might follow me home.
“After horrific investigations, I keep the lights on and watch a Disney movie like Mary Poppins or Winnie-The-Pooh. You’ll never catch me watching The Exorcist!”
Yvette’s first paranormal experience happened when she was in her late twenties. She woke up at her mum’s to see a young man in a military uniform chopped in half from the waist down.
“In the Second World War, the nearby railway line was used to transport troops. One lad didn’t want to fight, so he threw himself off the train and got cut in half – that’s the man I saw at the foot of the bed.”
If you’re trying to contact the dead, the trick is to be open-minded, says Yvette, as spirits draw strength from our positive energy.
“I believe we move to another plane, depending on how we live our lives. That’s why bad spirits might stick around – they’re scared of what awaits them,” says Yvette.
“When I die, I hope I can come back and tell you all what happens. And perhaps I’ll scare the prime minister while I’m at it!”
And I certainly left believing in other planes. Read on to find out about my experience...
Our mission for the day was to make contact with the spirits. When the scene was set and the cameras started rolling, the seance began.
A few months after my 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.
Mum didn’t believe in an afterlife, so when she passed away two years ago from motor neurone disease, aged 59, I thought I’d never speak to her again. But I was wrong.
For those two years I’d worried. Is she happy? Is she in pain? Where has she gone? Thanks to Yvette and her late father Alan,
I learnt that, yes, my mum is happy, pain-free and in a better place.
Yvette had led us to her garden shed – a more intimate space where activity is often experienced.
I called out to Mum, stating that I was present, and heard strong, excitable tapping. I began asking for answers that only she would know.
My favourite food Mum made me, was it salad? Silence. Fajitas? Silence. Lasagne and garlic bread? Cue excited, strong tapping.
The 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’s name, tapping sounded through the shed, like a starting car.
‘That’s right!’ I cried.
When she spelt out her name, Amanda, there was no doubt it was her.
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’.
When asked what Mum felt when she died, she tapped out, ‘Bliss’. After every answer, the room erupted in awe. We all cried as
Mum’s tapping faded.
There will always be sceptics, just as there are hundreds of sham psychics. But what happened in Yvette’s garden shed was real.
I believe I spoke to my mum. I wouldn’t suggest everyone tries to contact a loved one but it worked for me and I came away feeling as if a huge weight had lifted from my shoulders.
