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10th June 2006
Blue Peter may be the most iconic children’s TV show of all time, but judging by the fates of some of its presenter, it would come as no surprise to find the long-running show is labouring under some sort of curse. A quick look at the misfortunes of some of the presenters – Richard Bacon, Anthea Turner and John Leslie – will show that Blue Peter isn’t perhaps the luckiest programme to work on. Yvette Fielding, who presented the show for five years, would probably agree. ‘Being on Blue Peter taught me an awful lot,’ she says, ‘but the first year was hell.’
Yvette was the pretty brunette, with wildly curly hair, who fronted the show as a raw, inexperienced 17-year-old. Now some 20 years on, her looks are remarkably unchanged and she still retains the bubbly enthusiasm that characterised her presenting. She always seemed very jolly, so it comes as something of a surprise to hear that her time on Blue Peter was anything but fun.
‘It was the first time I’d ever been away from home. I was quite nervous anyway, but made to feel even more so by the way I was treated. I almost felt bullied, and Biddy Baxter [the show’s formidable editor] made me so much more nervous that all I used to do was panic. I was so desperate to get it right that I invariably didn’t, and I know that I was dreadful for a while.
‘People on the show also told me that I was fat and useless and that the only thing I was good at was being with the Blue Peter dog. Every time I looked in the mirror, all I could see was this dumpy, dowdy, ugly person. I was in tears all the time and, even though I hated every minute of it, I couldn’t give up because everyone kept telling me what a great opportunity I’d been given. My unhappiness lasted about a year and then I started to feel more comfortable and, to be fair to Biddy, she was only trying to encourage me.’ One of Yvette’s co-presenters was Caron Keating, who died of breast cancer two years ago.
Yvette and Caron were close during the three years they worked together. ‘We travelled the world together. Caron was the one who looked at my wardrobe and said, “My God, what are you wearing?” She took me under her wing, and got me into nightclubs in London.
‘She was an important person in my life because I was a frumpy girl with a strong Northern accent who didn’t know anything about London. You don’t forget people like that. I just loved her and thought she was so funny. She was one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met, an absolutely stunning and lovely person. I didn’t know she was ill. The first thing I knew about it was when she passed away. God, what a shock that was.’
Another co-presenter was John Leslie. Much has been written about his supposedly louche character and yet Yvette is adamant that the Leslie she knew was nothing like the man later depicted. ‘I spent three years working with him, mixing with his friends in Edinburgh and London, and he was only ever a really lovely guy. I’ve been out with him among a group of friends and I’ve seen women throwing themselves at him, and all he’d ever do was laugh them off.’ Was he not remotely lecherous? ‘Well, I did see him pinch girls’ bottoms, but in a jokey sort of way. He definitely loved the ladies and they loved him.
‘We once had to go on a trip to Zimbabwe for Blue Peter. We were staying in huts but, because the woman I was sharing with was a real snorer, I asked John if I could share with him instead. He averted his eyes the whole time and always said that whenever I needed to get changed he’d leave the room. I can’t believe that he’s ever been less than a gentleman.’
Yvette knew Leslie while he was dating Catherine Zeta-Jones, before she became a Hollywood star, ‘Oh!’ squeals Yvette, ‘Now that’s my real claim to fame – I cooked dinner for John and Catherine at my home. Her welsh accent was very strong and I remember her saying, “God, I love John so much – I just want to have his children.”’
The last time she saw Leslie was at Caron’s funeral. ‘We didn’t say much to each other – it wasn’t a time for talking.’
Yvette has two children – William, 12, and Mary, six – and has had a life every bit as eventful as those she is talking about. At 37, she has managed to cram in two marriages and an estrangement from her father that was resolved a few years ago. ‘Oh, it’s been an interesting life,’ she agrees, ‘although, at times, I’ve probably longed for it not to be so interesting!’ Her first marriage to policeman Barry Sweeney, was a whirlwind affair. Problems arose not long after William’s birth. ‘I was just very silly,’ says Yvette now, ‘and got married far, far too young [she was 22]. My parents had divorced when I was 13 and then suddenly, this slightly older man came along [Barry was 28] and took control of my life. I thought, “This is what I want.” But it didn’t work out and the only good thing to come out of it was William.’
After the break-up, Yvette had what she calls ‘a horrific time, on my own, trying to bring up a baby. I’d stopped appearing on Blue Peter by then, and when you’re no longer A-list on TV, it’s hard to get work. I ended up taking a job as a teacher for a while but hated it, so I left after two weeks. I ended up on income support for a time and it was very hard. But I started to get some TV work after a while and things got better after that.’
One of the jobs Yvette got as a presenter of BBC1’s City Hospital. It was there that she met cameraman Karl Beattie and, just ten weeks after their first date, Karl proposed live on TV. ‘I had no idea he was going to do it,’ says Yvette. ‘He just stepped into the picture and offered me a diamond ring. I really didn’t ever think I was going to marry again and I suppose, initially, when I met Karl and he talked about marriage, I did back off because I was scared. But when he proposed, I said “yes” straightaway. We tried for a baby almost immediately and now we’ve got our lovely daughter.’ The couple have been married for seven years. They invested their savings in creating the successful TV series Most Haunted, which investigates the paranormal. They own a mill in Stockport and run their TV production company from six offices. Yvette and Karl are both great romantics and this year plan to renew their marriage vows in Las Vegas with their closest friends, mostly the crew of Most Haunted.
‘I don’t know what I’d do without Karl – he’s such a gentle, thoughtful person and I still look at him now and think how sexy he is.’ He is an undefeated champion in full-contact martial arts and has been awarded a Samuraiship – the only UK holder and one of just eight outside Japan. ‘Which makes me feel safe,’ she says. Early in the couple’s marriage, Yvette’s father moved in with them. It might sound like a recipe for disaster, given the tricky relationship she and her father once had, but Yvette insists that it was a happy situation.
He parents divorced when she was 13 and from that moment on Yvette says she had no contact with him. ‘My dad had been a businessman and, basically, he had a breakdown when I was young.
‘Up until then, he’d been the best dad in the world, but he went through a difficult time and he took it out on me,’ she says softly, ‘I don’t want to hurt him or anything now, but he did hit me and for a 13-year-old girl it was pretty hard to take. Mum was mortified when she found out and so they split p. I couldn’t forgive him for about 16 years.’
Over the years, Yvette found her estrangement from her father difficult to talk about, but when she met Karl, she told him what had happened. ‘I had a good old cry and then, one morning, I woke up and really missed my dad. I’d heard from my brother that he’d been poorly and I thought, “This is silly – he hasn’t met his grandchildren, or Karl,” so I decided to get in touch. We had a heart to heart and he was very apologetic about what he’d done. He wasn’t feeling too great and so he asked if he could stay with us, and that’s what happened. It’s been a case of us slowly getting to know one another again and it was really lovely having him here.’ He has recently moved to the US but they still remain friends.
So it’s been a pretty up-and-down life, admits Yvette. This month she is celebrating the 100th edition of Most Haunted. Yvette – who has always been ‘absolutely terrified’ of ghosts – and a team of paranormal experts, visit various supposedly haunted sites and report on the results. A year ago she handed in her notice after an appalling experience. A medium said she was connected to the building they were filming in, which was once the haunt of witches. He regressed her to a past life, putting her into what she believes was a hypnotic trance.
‘I blanked out,’ she recalls. ‘I can’t remember anything. I woke up on the floor a gibbering wreck. When they replayed what had happened to me, I couldn’t believe it. I became this possessed demonic woman lying on a bed screaming, cackling and trying to punch and slap my husband. Afterwards, I said “I don’t want to end up in a mental home.” I was serious about resigning. I said, “I can’t go on. It may be great for the show, but I’ve got my children and family to think of.”’
A month later she changed her mind after chatting to a cameraman who had developed alopecia and lost all his hair through the stress of working on the show. ‘He said that as long as we know we are truthful and what we are doing is right, we should stick at it. I love what I do, even though I am scared to death most of the time.’
All in all then, Yvette professes to be extremely happy with her lot and she can even, believe it or not, find it in her heart to forgive Biddy Baxter. ‘I would love to have dinner with her now,’ says Yvette, ‘and talk about the good old days.’ She laughs dryly. ‘And I think I might be able to enjoy it.’
The 100th episode of Most Haunted is on 27th June, LivingTV, 9pm. Ghost Hunters by Yvette Fielding and Ciaran O’Keeffe, Hodder & Stoughton, £12.99, is out on July 17th
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