Memorial: Dame Ann Leslie

A service of thanksgiving for the life of Ann Leslie will take place at St Bride’s Church, the Journalists’ Church, on Thursday 23rd May at 11:30am.

Leslie was one of Britain’s most famous and formidable journalists. Courageous and forthright, a storyteller of wit and originality, Leslie was born in Rawalpindi, graduated from Oxford, then began her journalism career in 1962 at the Manchester Daily Express. Moving to Fleet Street, she covered showbiz stories, then foreign editor David English sent her to write abroad.

Leslie followed English to the Daily Mail where she reported from more than 70 countries, covering defining historical moments including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first Gulf War, Mandela’s walk to freedom, US presidential elections and superpower summits. Leslie was one of the very few female journalists despatched to dangerous assignments at the time.

In 2007, she was made a dame for services to journalism. A familiar face and voice on political broadcasts later in life, she won nine British Press Club awards and the Outstanding Contribution to Journalism at the International Media Awards in 2012.

Obituaries

• The Guardian
• The Times
• BBC News
• Press Gazette
• The Telegraph