‘Something Got Into Bloody Mary’s Bed!’ Toyah Willcox and Celebrity Friends Report Thrilling Encounters at Suffolk Mansion  

When Toyah Willcox arrived at Ballingdon Hall in Suffolk with her husband, Robert Fripp, she brought stories of her haunted home, including tales of a mischievous spirit she calls George, who shares it with her and has threatened people close to her. The event was a private spiritual house party at the home of Lesley Reynolds and Dr Aamer Khan, founders of The Harley Street Skin Clinic. Alongside Toyah and Robert, guests included actors Kirsty Mitchell (Casualty, Doctors) and Gaynor Faye (Coronation Street, Emmerdale); Richard Keep (Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Silent Witness); Lisa Gorgin (Eastenders, The Bill, Footloose); (British-Iranian protest singer-songwriter Gola; comedian Helen Lederer, best known as Catriona in Absolutely Fabulous; and actress and former model Linda Lusardi with her husband, actor Sam Kane (Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Brookside), and their daughter Lucy, a rising singing talent — all of whom took part in readings with psychic and healer June Field.

Kirsty Mitchell, Lesley Reynolds and Sophie Cooper with psychic and healer June Field

June Field rose to prominence after winning the televised Battle of the Psychics, beating more than 70,000 contestants. Judge Uri Geller later said: “I have never seen a psychic so specific.” During the series, she also became involved in a real-life murder investigation, providing police with detailed information about a suspect — including physical markings and the car he was driving — which ultimately contributed to an arrest. Her reputation has since attracted an international following, including Hollywood figures such as Gene Wilder, Don McLean, Laura Dern and Diane Ladd, many of whom have sought her guidance. It was the house’s most famous bedroom that first captured everyone’s imagination. Ballingdon Hall’s Queen Mary room is dominated by a magnificent hand-carved four-poster oak bed believed to have once belonged to Mary I of England, better known in history as “Bloody Mary.” Originally fascinated by the room’s history, Toyah had planned to sleep in the legendary bed herself. But on arrival, she reconsidered, and actress Kirsty Mitchell took the room instead, sharing it with her cousin Leigh. What followed that night would become one of the gathering’s most talked-about moments. Leigh woke suddenly in the early hours, convinced someone had climbed into the bed and was stroking her hair. In the darkness, she assumed it was Kirsty. But when she turned over, her cousin was still fast asleep. The next morning, during the first reading, June immediately turned to Kirsty and said she could sense a powerful female presence around her — a woman who had played a defining role in her life. June said the spirit was drawing attention to a clock Kirsty had kept after her death. Kirsty became emotional, reaching for a tissue, and explained that the clock had belonged to her late mother and had remained with her ever since her death. An actress, who asked not to be named, was stunned when June revealed she had brought her late mother’s shoes to the house but decided not to wear them. June also identified a nearly empty bottle of perfume she keeps as a personal connection. However, a particularly striking moment came when June saw the figure of a man standing beside Toyah Willcox. June said the spirit was Bill Rieflin, the acclaimed American drummer and multi-instrumentalist who performed with R.E.M. and later King Crimson until his death in 2020 following a battle with cancer. Rieflin had been a close friend and creative collaborator of Toyah and Robert Fripp through their musical projects, including The Humans. According to June, he came with a clear message: he wanted Toyah to finish a song they had begun writing together. Toyah explained: “The song is called ‘Get In Your Car and Drive.’ Bill died before we could finish it, and I didn’t think I could go back to it. But this has given me the push to finally complete the song and release it in his memory.” What began as a spiritual gathering of famous friends unfolded into a series of strikingly personal readings and emotional revelations that many of the guests said they will never forget.