Who is Derek Acorah? Everything you need to know about the Most Haunted star and Celebrity Big Brother 2017 contestant
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From strippers to journalists, there have certainly been some interesting housemates in Celebrity Big Brother over the years.
However, Channel 5 bosses have secured their first-ever psychic medium in the form of Derek Acorah.
But who exactly is he? Here is everything you need to know about the spooky star...
Who is Derek Acorah?
Born on 27 January 1950 in Liverpool, Derek Francis Johnson started working on TV in the 1990s.
A self-proclaimed spiritual medium, he would claim to communicate with the deceased on daytime chat shows.
(Image: PA)
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He still lives in Merseyside with his wife, Gwen, whom he married in 1995.
Why is he famous?
Although Derek was a relatively regular face on television in the 1990s, he hit the big time when he joined Yvette Fielding on smash-hit paranormal show Most Haunted in 2001.
The programme's resident psychic, his most memorable moment was when he declared that a fame ghost, called Mary, "loves Dick" - her late husband from the physical world.
(Image: Facebook)
From then on he became something of a cult figure, but, sadly, their working relationship died a death when Derek was accused of fabricating his readings.
Specifically, he claimed to have been possessed by the spirit of a ghoul called the Kreed Kafer - which is actually an anagram of Derek Faker.
He dropped from the show in 2005.
(Image: PA)
(Image: Living)
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What else has he been in?
Since then he's continued to tour the UK and still works in broadcasting, occasionally.
In fact, he now fronts a programme called Derek Acorah’s Ghost Towns and a second called Paranormal Egypt, which follows a similar format to Most Haunted.
His CV also includes a cameo appearance in Doctor Who episode Army of Ghosts, Bo Selecta and Celebrity juice.
Has he ever been controversial?
CBB contestants 2017
Oh yes.
In May 2012, just a few years after the alleged Most Haunted fraud,he claimed to have received a psychic message from missing youngster Madeleine McCann.
Specifically, he told her worried parents via The Sun newspaper that she had died several months earlier and would seen be reincarnated as a different person.
After widespread media outrage, Acorah published an apology to McCann's parents.