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Yes he did. Here is a bit of info from Wikipedia about him:
He pursued a career as a footballer for many years, playing for Liverpool F.C. Reserves and Glentoran, before emigrating to Australia to continue to pursue his footballing career.
On his return to Liverpool, Derek ( Johnson ) Acorah worked for Littlewoods Warehouses as a Security Guard, at their Derby Lane and subsequently J.M Centre buildings, for six years from 1979 to 1985 prior to beginning to practise as a medium, and soon gained a popular local following. His first book 'The Psychic World of Derek Acorah' was co-written with his then manager John G. Sutton. Sutton took Derek to the USA, where he was ISPR-tested in the field and allowed to join the International Society for Paranormal Research (ISPR) headed by Parapsychologist Dr. Larry Montz. As one of the psychic investigators of the ISPR team, Derek participated in six field investigations in England for the 1999 award-winning documentaries, ISPR Investigates Ghosts of England and ISPR Investigates Ghosts Of Belgrave Hall, created and produced by Dr. Larry Montz and Daena Smoller. Derek Acorah remained an ISPR investigator until 2006. He then appeared on Psychic Livetime on a local Manchester station, Granada Breeze, and went on to host his own show, Predictions with Derek Acorah. Following the closure of that station, he was chosen by LivingTV as the resident medium on their 2002 series Most Haunted, which shot him to national fame. His theatre tours of purported mediumship have resulted in shows across the UK