(This article previously appeared in its fate magazine - copyright Jacky Newcomb / Its fate magazine 2004)
Derek Acorah's appearances on LivingTV's 'Most Haunted' and 'The Three Mediums' with Colin Fry and Tony Stockwell, have made him a household name. His live appearances attract many thousands of people.
Derek chats to Jacky Newcomb.

My family name is actually Johnson but I always felt my name should be Acorah, the name of Gran's first husband (a sailor born in the Netherlands).

I grew up in Bootle, Liverpool where my parents and I lived with my Gran. She was a psychic medium, so when I had my first psychic experience when I was only six years old she was able to reassure me and explain to me what had happened. I'd seen a stranger at the family home, but that stranger was a spirit.

Another day, I was staring at my bedroom door, which has been freshly painted, when I began seeing the faces of people of different colours and races - they would appear in the doorway and then float towards me, disappearing over my shoulder. I was quite frightened at the time.
My grandmother explained to me that these people were the guides and helpers who would accompany me along my life's pathway, coming in at different times and different stages to work with me in my mediumship ministry in the years to come.

When I was 13 I got called into the headmaster's office. I was worried that I might have done something wrong but sitting in the heads office was my mother. She was crying and had come to tell me that my beloved Gran had died. I insisted on going to see her and was taken to Walton General Hospital where I held her hand one last time.
Several nights later, whilst lying in my bed, the scent of wallflowers suddenly filled the room. Wallflowers had been Gran's favourite flower and even though she had died, I knew she was with me still.

I always wanted to be a professional footballer and at fifteen I realised my dream and became an apprentice footballer with Liverpool football club. I played many times with Liverpool's reserve team but sadly never made it to the first team. Years later a medium brought through the spirit of Bill Shankley (my 'boss' at Liverpool FC), and she told me, 'the boss says you're going to score more goals in your work now than you did at Liverpool!' (Referring to my work as a medium). After Liverpool I played for Glen Toran in Ireland and then moved to Australia to play professional football there. Sadly a knee injury finished off my footballing career.

When I was 17 I had my first visit from Sam. Sam is my spirit guide who literally introduced himself! I was so surprised at this clear voice that no one else could hear that I sat in the bathroom so that I could talk to him in private!
Derek Acorah

It was probably the most startling, yet loving, experience I've ever had, but it took me about a month to come to get used to the idea. Eventually Sam proved to me that he was very real and convinced me how important it was for both of us to have thisspiritual relationship for the greater good. I had to embrace Sam's trust and caring which has now brought me forward to this present day, realising that Sam's entrance into my world was and is pre-written.

Late one evening I had a visit from spirit. Gran had come to visit me again. She explained that I would be able to earn my living by helping other people communicate with their loved ones on the other side. For a very long time though, I did my readings for free, and it was only after I had exhausted all funds that I made the difficult decision to charge a nominal fee of £2.50 per person for readings.

There is one special reading I remember very clearly. A young woman came to see me and I became aware of a spirit lady who told me her name was Agnes. She was the mother of my visitor. Agnes told me to explain to her daughter Ann that she "had the twins with her in spirit - a girl and a boy." Ann was slightly shocked and was near to tears of relief. Her mother said they were safe and that she was glad to see Ann was pregnant again.Ann seemed a little alarmed because this information was unknown to her! Her mum told me that she would get her confirmation soon.

Agnes continued giving loving 'survival evidence' to her daughter and explained that Joseph was also with her. This turned out to be Ann's dad, who had also 'passed over.' Five days later Ann contacted me again to say that her pregnancy had been confirmed. She asked me if I could tell her if she was having a girl or a boy and I informed her that she was expecting both! Some months later Ann telephoned me once again to confirm that her twins had been born safely and were thriving which was great news.

Many years later I was given the opportunity to appear on television, first on Granada Breeze 'Livetime' (which was later changed to 'Psychic Livetime due to the success of the show), and then LivingTV, and I've been lucky enough to appear as a guest on many other channels since then. In the early days, at Granada I was also given a weekly programme called 'Predictions with Derek Acorah' where I would conduct readings in a 'gallery format'. I appeared on Granada Breeze twice weekly for over four years until Granada Television made the decision to close their satellite channel.

In June of 2001, just a month before the decision, I had been working with ex-Blue Peter presenter Yvette Fielding who was standing in for Becky Want, the regular presenter. Yvette asked me whether I would be interested in working on the pilot show of a programme devised by herself and husband Karl Beattie. I agreed and just two weeks later I was at Michelham Priory filming what was to become "Most Haunted". I don't think that anybody realised what a phenomenal success the programme would become when LivingTV first commissioned the series in early December 2001.

Travelling around the country so much, filming for Most Haunted and The Antiques Ghost Show, together with my extensive theatre tour, would place a huge pressure on my relationship with my wife Gwen, but luckily she is able to travel with me. I'm very happy to say that my home life is my haven. We live in Southport with our dog Bonnie and four cats! As it is, we are fortunate in that our animals are well cared for whilst we're away and we're able to spend as much time together as if I were working at home. Gwen has been enormously understanding. She did not come from a spiritualist background and I sometimes wonder whether she knew what she was taking on when she married me!

I have lots of things planned for the future. I intend continuing my theatre tours and also filming Most Haunted. And I'm also writing my second book which is due to be published September 2004.