For Kiwi medium Kelvin Cruickshank, working on Sensing Murder has been both a traumatising and rewarding experience.
But when the popular TV series returns to our screens next year, Kelvin will appear in just one episode – stating he feels it’s time now for him to move on.
“Sensing Murder means a lot to me and always will,” says Kelvin.
“It changed my life and gave me the opportunity to try to help families who had lost loved ones under terrible circumstances. That’s been a real honour.
“But when I went to work on the new series, it was really different and it didn’t feel like I was meant to be there.”
WATCH: Sensing Murder featuring Kelvin Cruickshank. Story continues after the video
Over the years, Kelvin has looked into some of New Zealand’s most infamous crimes. From Alicia O’Reilly, a six-year-old murdered in her bed, to the disappearance of toddler Amber-Lee Cruickshank (no relation), who disappeared from a property near Lake Wakatipu.
And these experiences for Kelvin, who often feels or sees what has happened to the victims, have often been extremely disturbing.
“One of the worst ones was Alicia O’Reilly – when I communicated with her in spirit, I saw what she went through and I threw up,” says Kelvin. “I cried for weeks after working on that episode. She was such a lovely little kid.”
So what now for the popular Kiwi TV star?
Kelvin already has plans to appear in a US documentary series, Haunted Hollywood, that he filmed earlier this year, and has other plans to travel further afield next year.
Read more from Kelvin in this week’s New Zealand Woman’s Weekly.
