Diane Margaret Pearson was born in London, England but spent a large part of her childhood with her grandparents in a village on the Surrey/Kent borders. She became in 1975, the second wife of the Irish actor Richard Leech (McClelland). A widow since 2004, she now lives in her native London.

At 16, Diane started her career in publishing with Jonathan Cape Ltd, and she has been Senior Editor for Transworld Publishers for more than 35 years. In 1994 she won the British Book Award for Editor of the Year. As Diane Pearson she has published six historical romance novels and several short stories. She is also the President of the Romantic Novelists' Association since 1986.