After starting out as an '80s punk rocker, Toyah Willcox has gone on to establish herself as well-known face on TV. With a new album in the works and a reprisal of her role as Billie Piper's mum in ITV2's Secret Diary of a Call Girl forthcoming, Toyah is busier than ever. She'll next be seen on Living's paranormal show Living with the Dead, when three mediums come to investigate hauntings in her Wiltshire home. We gave Toyah a call to find out about her spooky house guests.

Were the spirits making life difficult for you?
"It wasn't making things difficult. In fact, before the team came in I said 'I like my house as it is'. I live in an incredibly old house - the oldest part of it is [from] 1510 - and there's a lot of activity in it, but none of it scares me. I said, 'Please don’t get rid of any of the spirits here, I've got very used to them and don't have a problem with them.' That said, when Ian Lawman (medium) came in, some pretty amazing things happened. Two of the skeptics got possessed and we had to do an exorcism. After that I said to Ian, 'Look, you’re going to leave me alone in this house, you can bloody well clear it of anything that's going to make my life hell!'"

Have you always believed in the paranormal?
"I believe in the paranormal and I accept it but I don't change my life around it. I'm not an avid follower, as it were. I am open-minded."

Ian claims to have spoken to the Kray Twins. Did he bring up any unsavoury characters this time?
"He brought up a suicide, which was very, very sad. I said during the filming that I didn't want it to continue and [asked for] the person to be moved on. Ian was really good about it. It was so ridiculously sad, everyone was in tears and it was almost against human rights to have carried on at that point. It was very sensitively dealt with."

These programmes have become more and more popular in recent years. Why do you think that is?
"I think people need reassurance that there is an afterlife. That's perfectly understandable. Also, the reason that this particular series exists is that there are more and more haunted properties. Even though I was happy to live with my ghosts, I know that they've gone on to film other people who just can't live in their houses because it's so bad. I think that's partly why it's popular, people are increasingly open-minded and are realising that they are living in quite disturbed houses."

You did I'm A Celebrity... a few years ago. Looking back, how do you view that experience?
"I wouldn't have changed it for the world. I work in television and my aim is to be seen. The one thing about that particular [year] is it has the highest viewing figures. We had 17 million. Now it's considered good if you get 2 million, so I've got no regrets at all about that. It certainly hasn't done me any harm."

Digital Spy
May 2008