There are good reasons why Barbara Taylor Bradford was often labelled “the grand dame of blockbusters”.

The author, who has died aged 91, wrote a total of 40 novels during her career with her books selling more than 91 million copies to date.

But despite all her success, she remained “a girl from Yorkshire that worked hard and made good”, as Jenny Seagrove, who starred in a TV adaptation of Bradford’s A Woman Of Substance in 1985, says.

She started her career as a typist for the Yorkshire Evening Post before being promoted to reporter. Bradford was a real pioneer, going on to become the paper’s first woman’s editor.

Barbara Taylor Bradford, who wrote A Woman of Substance, has died at the age of 91. PIC: Caroll Taveras/Bradford Enterprises/PA Wire

placeholder image — Barbara Taylor Bradford, who wrote A Woman of Substance, has died at the age of 91. PIC: Caroll Taveras/Bradford Enterprises/PA Wire

The author was deeply proud of her Yorkshire roots, she was born in Leeds in May 1933, and despite moving over to the states to live with her husband, American film producer, Robert Bradford, her links to this region were never broken.

She received honorary doctorates from the University of Leeds and the University of Bradford.

Taylor Bradford is an inspiration to all aspiring writers. She started and ditched several novels while pursuing her journalistic career but ultimately she hit the big time when A Woman Of Substance was published in 1979. A great example of Yorkshire perseverance.

She also contributed to charities, including acting as an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust in the UK and serving on the Board of Literacy Partners in the US.

A natural storyteller, Bradford showed just how powerful the written word can be, her work capturing the imagination of millions all over the world.