WORDS: FRANCESCA WOODSTOCK, JACK FALBER. PHOTOS: MEDAVIA, GETTY
Amber-Elise Valentine, 59, uses her psychic skills to uncover secrets
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.
Although I had a gift, I never expected to turn my psychic ability into a career. Instead, I went into marketing, and then worked for a publishing company. But I was always guided by the spirits.
MIRACULOUS ESCAPE
In my 20s, I was involved in a horrific car accident, when my car was hit and hurtled across three lines of busy traffic, then flipped. But by some miracle I walked away with little more than a scratch. Certain the spirits had kept me safe, I couldn’t ignore my destiny any longer.
Then, in 1993, when I was 29, I set up a psychic centre with my friend, Janice, then 32, who also spoke to spirits. We helped people speak to family members who’d passed, while others just wanted to know what the future held - whether they’d find love, bag their dream job, or stay in good health.
It led to me appearing on a psychic TV channel as a present
