Samantha Giles has credited a pagan love spell with bringing her husband into her life.
The former ‘Emmerdale’ actress – who played Bernice Blackstock on and off from 1998 until 2019 – has always been open about her Wicca beliefs, and she has thanked "magic" for introducing her to her man Sean Pritchard.
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I practice pagan witchcraft, which isn’t as bonkers as it sounds.
"I wrote down exactly what I was after and used candles and crystals to do the magic. A few months later exactly what I’d written appeared. As if by magic!"
Samantha – who has daughters Eve, 12 and eight-year-old Olivia – described Sean as the "greatest love of her life", and heaped praise on her husband of 10 years.
She added: "I know it’s cheesy, but he really accepts me for who I am. He’s a gentle man. And because I can be quite difficult, I’m lucky he loves me as I am.
"Life’s too short to be with someone who isn’t right for you. And to anyone who’s lost jobs, just remember that when you think life is over, it isn’t.
"It’s just going in a new direction. You have to face forwards."
This summer, Samantha will be releasing her first children’s book, ‘Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle Hill’.
Recently announcing the book, she said: "So I can now announce my amazing news!
"I am so excited to say that my first children’s book ‘Rosemary and The Witches of Pendle Hill’ is going to be published THIS SUMMER by the fabulous @AgoraBooksLDN . Watch this space! (sic)"
Publisher Agora Books also shared the news and revealed they are "thrilled to be working with" the actress and author.
They wrote: "EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! We’re thrilled to be working with @sammeegiles on her first children’s novel, out later this summer!
"You’re going to love Rosemary and her gang, we’re sure of it. (sic)"