Yvette Fielding, presenter of Most Haunted, says ghosts do not wait for Halloween to appear, and she no longer fears death after decades of paranormal investigations.
No difference on Halloween night
Fielding, 58, said her years of live Halloween shows have taught her that the date makes no difference to ghostly activity. "I've done lots of live shows in America and in the UK on Halloween night, and I would say, me personally, people don't want to hear this but there's no difference whatsoever. People say it's when the veil between this world and their world is at its thinnest. Me personally, I've not encountered that."
She added: "I think if there's going to be activity, if there's a ghost and they want to make themselves known, it doesn't matter what time of year it is, they'll come out and say hello. Daytime or nighttime."
Still gets terrified
Despite years of investigating alleged hauntings, Fielding admits she still gets desperately frightened and relies on comforting childhood favourites afterwards. "I'd be a liar if I said no I didn't [get scared]. I get so terrified sometimes. On the way home from Most Haunted filming, my poor husband has to put up with the theme tune of Mary Poppins, the soundtrack, as we drive. And then when I get into bed, all the lights have to be on. And then I watch the cartoon of Winnie the Pooh, because if I didn't decompress, I would end up being very poorly, I think."
The former Blue Peter presenter has hosted the spooky show since 2002, with her husband Karl Beattie acting as producer. She added: "I've never watched Most Haunted unless I have to for research, because it would scare the living bejesus out of me. Although I get scared, I love doing it."
Memories of Paul O'Grady
Fielding also spoke fondly of the late Paul O'Grady, who teamed up with her on various shows and podcasts to explore the supernatural. "Lord, how I miss that man! He really loved it and believed in it. Every Halloween, without doubt, he'd text me: 'What are you doing? Where are you going?' He'd be with us whenever he could be but he often in places like Sri Lanka doing amazing things with elephants."
She recalled: "He was fascinated by the scratchings and the negative things. We were both really into protection. I can just hear him saying, 'I'm taking me garlic necklace with me!' He was such an advocate for Most Haunted."
Terrifying hotel stay
Her latest book, Most Haunted Hotels, was recently published, and one stay left Fielding struggling to sleep even after returning home. At the Stanley Hotel, which inspired Stephen King's The Shining, she asked a female colleague to join her in room 217 while Karl Beattie investigated elsewhere.
"I couldn't sleep in there on my own. Karl was off investigating so I asked one of the female members of the team at the time if she could come and stay with me. We had the most horrific night. As we were falling asleep, we both heard a man's voice above our heads - it was like a deep evil cackle – 'Ha Ha Ha!' We both ran out of that room screaming. Her room was quite a way from mine. So, of course, we're running in the dark through these corridors. Imagine The Shining. That's exactly what it was like. I kept thinking those twins or Jack Nicholson would suddenly loom at us out of the darkness. It was so terrifying. I actually couldn't sleep for a long time after that, even when I got home, because I'll never forget the sound of that voice."
She added: "It was awful. Apparently Jim Carrey and Stephen King stayed in that room. Stephen King saw a ghost of a little boy. And Jim Carrey to this day won't speak about what happened to him. And I think he had the same experience as me."
Quit live on air
An investigation in Edinburgh's underground vaults left Fielding so distressed that she quit during the broadcast. "It was the first time I saw members of the team getting scratched and cut. We were live on air in Edinburgh vaults, and the sound guy had to go to accident and emergency because his leg got so badly cut. You could see the bone. It was like something had taken a knife to him. I couldn't keep it together. I was sobbing. I've got my earpiece in and the producers are going, 'Yvette, you need to keep it together.' And I'm really crying my eyes out. And then I resigned live on air."
She eventually decided to return. "I think I took a month off. And then I thought, 'No, come on, now you've come this far. If you're going to go into this thing, you need to know more about it. I thought, 'Come on, girl, you're either in it or you're not in it.' And I thought, 'No, I'm in it.'"
Even when she is not ghost hunting, Fielding says the afterlife finds her, and the first home she shared with Karl was haunted. "It was where Karl and I first came up with the idea of 'Most Haunted'. We had to call in a Buddhist priest to get rid of whatever it was, because that was really frightening. Lots of weird stuff. I'd become too absorbed in exploring the paranormal myself - reading so many books, looking online, doing meditation. The priest said I had to stop because I was opening yourself up too much. And that's what was causing all this paranormal activity to happen in the house. He said he was going to shut it down and he did. It all stopped from that moment on. It was incredible."
Despite the frightening experiences, Fielding says her belief in an afterlife brings her comfort. "Me personally, my faith, my belief, is that we go on. We go on and we will see our loved ones again. I'm so blessed to have had so many conversations and communications with loved ones over the years. And I'm not scared of death one bit. One bit. Not at all."
