A gran whose fear of flying meant she missed out on family holidays had her phobia busted by a hypnotist ahead of her 60th birthday.

School cleaner Brigette Barrett had never boarded a plane in her 59 years despite pleas from her grandchildren to go on family holidays.

Staycations and missing out were the only options for Brigette, of Woodlands, Paddock Wood, before Robert Hisee, a hypnotist based in Brentwood, banished her fear of flying.

Video courtesy of hypnotist Robert Hisee

Brigette said: "I was absolutely petrified of flying. It had such a bad impact on our family because I wouldn't go on holidays.

"I was adamant that I would never go on a plane."

Mr Hisee booked her a flight to Marbella and little did she know her family, including daughter Emma Graham, also boarded the flight and sat 10 seats behind.

Mrs Barrett added: "I saw Robert on a number of sites and started following him and what he was doing. I then thought I have nothing to lose and contacted him.

"After one appointment he asked me how I felt and I said I just wanted to get on a plane.

"It was like there was a switch that went off and on in my head. It was such a nice surprise seeing my family in Marbella. Nobody gets much by me so it was a total shock.

I can't thank Robert enough, he is such a lovely person."

Her daughter Mrs Graham, who also lives in Park Wood, said: "My mum has never been on a plane in her life. She has had to say no to all of our family holidays and felt like she was letting us down.

"She was petrified of flying but we had a recommendation to go and do hypnosis and they managed to get her to fly.

"He booked her a flight and she loved it.

"I think my mum didn't want to go on a flight because she has seen the news and documentaries about crashes and she was frightened of it."

Mrs Graham joked that her family will now have to find ways to finance her mum's new love of boarding planes.

The mum-of-two said: "My mum didn't know that we all booked to go on the same flight and we were sitting 10 seats behind her and she had no idea at all.

"We let her get off the flight and then we surprised her when she came out of the toilet at the airport. She couldn't believe it."

The family flew out to Marbella in the morning and returned to the UK later that evening.

There is now no stopping Brigette who already has her sights set on a trip to Cyprus where her husband Steven was born.

For 60 years she had never been on a plane and now she can't wait to do it it again.

"Mum is 60 in July and she is already planning to go to Cyprus later this year.

"I don't think we will be able to stop her getting on planes now. We will have to win the lottery to be able to pay for the holidays."