Sarah Helm

Journalist and non-fiction writer

British Scorpio

Quick Info

ProfessionJournalist and non-fiction writer
NationalityBritish
Date of Birth02/11/1956
Age69 years
Zodiac SignScorpio

Latest News about Sarah Helm

18/10/2026

The Metropolitan Police assessed Helm's X post and concluded it did not meet the criminal threshold, so no further action was taken. Helm subsequently called for the ban on Palestine Action to be lifted.

16/10/2026

Sarah Helm publicly backed the novelist Sally Rooney after her publisher withdrew Rooney's books from UK sale over Rooney's support for the proscribed group Palestine Action. Helm posted on X that authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action needed help, which drew criticism from pro-Israel groups and calls for a police investigation.

Do you like Sarah Helm?

You can vote only once.

71% like · 29% dislike

Bio/Wiki

SummaryBritish journalist, non-fiction writer and playwright known for historical books on wartime Europe and for reporting on diplomacy and intelligence from the 1980s onward.
Notable Works
  • A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII (2005)
  • Ravensbrück: Life and Death in Hitler's Concentration Camp for Women
  • If This Is a Woman: Inside Ravensbrück, Hitler's Concentration Camp for Women (2015)
  • Loyalty (play about the 2003 Iraq War)
  • Gaza: The Long Road to Destruction, 1870-2024 (2025)

Educational Qualification(s)

SchoolsMillfield School
Universities
  • Institution: Girton College, Cambridge Subject: English

Personal Life

ResidenceLondon
HouseholdLives with her husband and two daughters

Relationships & More

SpouseJonathan Powell
Spouse DescriptionBritish civil servant who served as chief of staff to Prime Minister Tony Blair from 1997
Marriage Year2007

Family

SpouseJonathan Powell
ChildrenTwo daughters

Career

Early CareerReporter and feature writer at The Sunday Times
Independent NewspaperFounding member of The Independent in 1986; wrote articles on official secrets
Roles at The Independent
  • Diplomatic Editor from 1989
  • Middle East Correspondent
  • European affairs correspondent based in Brussels from 1995
Awards and Honours
  • British Press Award for Specialist Writer of the Year, for coverage of the Spycatcher controversy
  • Laurence Stern Fellowship (1987), internship at The Washington Post
Recent WorkFreelance writing for several publications, playwriting, and the 2025 book Gaza: The Long Road to Destruction, 1870-2024

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Her first book grew out of research on the Special Operations Executive, which led her to the Ravensbrück camp story
2. Her play Loyalty draws on her experience of being married to a senior Downing Street aide during the 2003 Iraq crisis

Also born on 2 November

Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
Scroll to Top