I'VE WRECKED 70 RELATIONSHIPS

Amber-Elise Valentine, 59, uses her psychic skills to uncover secrets

- FRANCESCA WOODSTOCK, JACK FALBER

Sitting at the kitchen table, I took a deep breath as I prepared to tell the woman opposite me that her partner was a cheat. It would  destroy her relationship, but I couldn’t hold on to the secret for a moment longer. ‘Your partner is being unfaithful,’ I blurted, unsure if she’d get angry and lash out, or if she’d even believe me. But the affair had nothing to do with me – I was simply the bearer of bad news. So how did I know? Her dead grandmother had told me…

I’ve known about the spirit world for as long as I can remember. My dad and grandparents all had a psychic ability. When I was a child, Dad often told me about seeing dead relatives, so ghosts were never something I was afraid of, but it wasn’t until 1977, aged 14, that I first had a vision of my own.

Standing by a row of shops in Islington, north London, as I waited to meet my friend, I felt a presence beside me. ‘Oh, there you are!’ I said, turning to greet her. But as I looked up, I saw it was my grandad – who had died six weeks earlier. I took in his tall stature, dark hair and glasses. He looked as real as the last time I’d seen him in the flesh, but although some people might have felt afraid, I felt comforted. ‘Hi, Grandad,’ I said. A moment later, he vanished among the crowd.

After that, I started attending seances to nurture my ability. Sometimes I went with my father, other times I went alone. I learnt how to focus on the many spirits desperate to make a connection, and I studied tarot cards, but, although some people may not believe it, I felt most comfortable as a medium, speaking to dead people.