Tumbling Dice

Lesley-Ann Jones is the acclaimed biographer of Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Marc Bolan. She began her career as an intern at London's Capital Radio, and worked with Debbie Harry and Blondie, Spandau Ballet and Leo Sayer during her tenure at Chrysalis Records. She experienced a Warholian fifteen minutes of fame as a television presenter at the inception of Channel 4. She subsequently reinvented herself as a reporter and celebrity interviewer on the Sun, the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday and the News of the World. She was also directly involved in three of the most explosive celebrity scandals of the age: Bill Wyman's affair with schoolgirl Mandy Smith, Gary Glitter's exposure as a paedophile, and Hugh Grant's arrest in Los Angeles following his dalliance with a prostitute. In this action- and emotion-packed debut memoir, she celebrates the fact that writers and reporters have at last become the story ... because they were there. The Gloria Gaynor of the written word, she survived not only the toughest street on Earth and near-fatal illness but also life-changing divorce, culminating in the killing of her lawyer. This memoir offers, at its heart, the evolving psyche and growing awareness of a green-gilled hack on a quest for exclusives and a thrilling lifestyle, but essentially, of course, for love. In this startling, funny and agonizing book, Lesley-Ann Jones relives the glory days and walks again on the wild side with tears, laughter and a whole lotta love.Not just another book about celebrities. This is a book about life. In this startling, funny and agonizing book, Lesley-Ann Jones relives the glory days and walks again on the wild side with tears, laughter and a whole lotta love. The respected biographer of Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Marc Bolan, LAJ began her career as an intern at London's Capital Radio, and worked with Debbie Harry and Blondie, Spandau Ballet and Leo Sayer at Chrysalis Records. She experienced 15 minutes of fame as a television presenter at the inception of Channel 4. She subsequently reinvented herself as a reporter and celebrity interviewer on the Sun, the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday and the News of the World. She was directly involved in 3 of the most explosive celebrity scandals of the age: Bill Wyman's affair with schoolgirl Mandy Smith, Gary Glitter's exposure as a paedophile, and Hugh Grant's arrest in Los Angeles following his dalliance with a prostitute. The Gloria Gaynor of the written word, she survived not only the toughest street on Earth and near-fatal illness but also life-changing divorce, culminating in the killing of her lawyer. TUMBLING DICE offers, at its heart, the evolving psyche and growing awareness of a green-gilled hack on a quest for exclusives and a thrilling lifestyle, but essentially, of course, for love ... "Hilarious, revealing, shocking and hugely enjoyable account of the wild, weird world of celebrity and even wilder, weirder world of tabloid journalism," says Piers Morgan ... "LAJ has always shone her light brilliantly, if sometimes too accurately, on others. She now turns it articulately and entertainingly onto herself - a scoop!" comments Sir Tim Rice ... TUMBLING DICE is "brilliant, unputdownable, a tour de force. The best book about celebrities that I have ever read. I wish I'd written it," raves Simon Napier-Bell, manager of the Yardbirds, Marc Bolan, Wham!, Sinead O'Connor and George Michael ... "Lesley-Ann was both the glamour and the guts of rock journalism. No one got closer to the story, nor nearer to the core of a crazy time. She was there and she was all there," is broadcaster Robert Elms's take ... columnist Matthew Parris adds, "Boy oh boy, Tumbling Dice is sensational! The stories are amazing and the storyteller, Lesley-Ann Jones, brings such intelligence, self-knowledge and honesty to a life recollected, that by the second page of the introduction, I was hooked." ... and journalist Martin Townsend observes: "It was almost impossible to be at a gig, party, reception or other rock-related shindig from the late '70s, '80s and beyond without seeing Lesley-Ann. She was everywhere, and seemed to know everyone, from rock stars to hotel doormen."