Rita Bradshaw was born in 1950 in Northampton, England. She met her husband Clive at the age of 16. They have three children: Cara, Faye, and Benjamin.
A former secretary, she began writing in 1990 at the age of 40, and published her first novel in 1992 at Mills & Boon under the pseudonym Helen Brooks. Since 1998, she also sing historical romances as her real name.
She lives in Northampton with her family, and her hobbies include going to the cinema or theater, reading, swimming, and having friends over for dinner.