Shelley Rohde

SHELLEY Rohde, courageous journalist and author of the definitive book on LS Lowry, has died aged 74 after a 10-year battle with cancer. She worked in Fleet Street, and in Manchester for the Daily Mail, Granada, and the BBC. Her hallmarks were boundless enthusiasm, genuine empathy for those she interviewed, and cunning to outwit the opposition. Born in London, Shelley grew up in Nottinghamshire and left school at 16 with few qualifications. She began work at a local paper before moving to London's Evening News and soon joined the Daily Express. She became the first woman correspondent in Moscow at the age of 21. Slim, chic, and young, she was noticed by the then Russian premier Nikolai Bulganin and Communist Party chief Nikita Khrushchev. When they visited Britain in the late 1950s Shelley acted as unofficial interpreter for the press pack. While covering the Hungarian revolution she and other reporters were waiting at a bridge to interview refugees fleeing to Austria. They heard a baby cry and Shelley, risking being shot by Russian guards in watchtowers, crossed the bridge and brought the baby and her family to safety. Shelley was married but later divorced. Her four children, Gavin, Christian, Daniel, and Michele all grew up to pursue successful careers in the performing arts. She leaves three grandchildren, Rowan, Billy, and Solomon. After quitting Fleet Street in the 1960s she lived in Bowdon, near Altrincham, and worked as a freelance before being lured back to work for the Daily Mail in Manchester. Alongside Tony Wilson she presented regional news for Granada and hosted her own show. She bought a house in the countryside near Nice, France, and while refurbishing it wrote the A-Z of Lowry.