ABOUT ME

Fleet Street to Bleat Street: The whacky world of Donna Gee

Hi, and thanks for looking in to the amusing, sometimes bizarre little world of a veteran newspaper hack. I’m Donna Gee and I’m a ranting old has-been who fled Fleet Street to become, amongst other things, the Grumpy Old Gran of Spain’s Costa Blanca.

After moaning my way around the expat press, I’ve finally entered my own internet domain at an age when many are beginning to lose their marbles. Or is it mosaics? Who cares anyway? I’m just glad to still be around. And since I’ve actually paid a modest fee to set this site up, I’m banking on it making me a fortune by Easter (though I’m not specifying which year).

I grew up in South Wales (hell, life was Taff in those days) and after giving Tom Jones, then just plain Tommy Woodward, his first-ever newspaper write-ups in the Pontypridd Observer (honestly!) went on to build my journalistic career and reputation in Manchester and London.

Welsh connection: Phil Bennett's team were my heroes

I worked as a staff writer, sub-editor and columnist for the Daily Express, Daily Mirror and Daily Star, covering news, features and sport, and have now eased into semi-retirement in southern Spain, where I am endeavouring to put the world to rights via newspaper and magazine columns.

I am a keen sports fan, particularly football and rugby. I’ve supported Cardiff City FC since I was knee high to a gnome and am also a lifelong fan of the Welsh rugby team, which in my youth was arguably the best in the world. My loyalty has been rewarded in my work, where I have ghostwritten columns and even a book for the likes of former British Lions captain Phil Bennett and England stars Wade Dooley and Dewi Morris.

This blog will feature some of my more interesting rants and articles, old and new, and I’m dedicating the site to my two beautiful daughters, Hayley and Lisa, and five grandkids, Rosie, Talia, Charlie, Daisy and Solly.

If you need somewhere to start, take a look at the article about my bizarre meeting with a dark stranger from my youth. It takes some believing. Just click on the relevant headline on the right of this page.

Along with my rants about the trials and tribulations of life in the UK and in Spain, you’ll find links to lots of sports articles I wrote during my time as managing editor of the Sportingo.com website between 2006 and 2009.

There should be a lot more to read on the site as I (hopefully) master the ever-deepening mysteries of WordPress technology. Whatever happened to Quark Express? I knew how that worked!