Port Talbot
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| Weather | 18°C, Wind W at 8 km/h, 74% Humidity |
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| Population | 35,633 (2001) |
| University | Neath Port Talbot College, Twyn Yr Hydd House |
| Date of Reg. | |
| Date of Upd. | |
| ID | 908138 |
About Port Talbot
Port Talbot is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It is 7 miles to the east of Swansea across the Swansea Bay, with a population, in 2011, was 37,276. It is best known for Port Talbot Steelworks, one of the biggest in the world.
Pizza Hut staff sacked after being sexually harassed
... Kailam Fearn and Sian Murphy were dismissed for gross misconduct in June 2021 after complaining about two managers at two Neath Port Talbot branches of the franchise...
CBeebies' Rebecca Keatley to see other side of screen with baby due
... The actress from Port Talbot, who now lives in Manchester where CBeebies is filmed, has seen from " this side of the fence" how important shows like Let s Play can become to families...
Tata Steel: Unions condemn plans for UK's biggest steelworks
... Tata Steel is set to make an announcement about the future of its plant in Port Talbot later...
Baby joy for mum after two children killed in M4 crash
... His court case heard because he was too hungover and tired to work, he decided to make the drive home to Neath Port Talbot from Leicester, where he had been working as a painter and decorator...
Labour more ambitious for Tata Steel - Sir Keir Starmer
...Sir Keir Starmer said Labour will be " more ambitious" than the Conservatives plans for Tata steelworks in Port Talbot...
Linda Sharp: The pioneer woman surfer in a sea of men
... She began surfing at 15 at Aberavon in Neath Port Talbot and competed for more than 20 years, winning European, British and Welsh titles...
Bonnie Tyler on why she still adores Total Eclipse of the Heart
... Bonnie was born in a council house in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, as Gaynor Sullivan...
Net zero: Will Rishi Sunak's changes to climate policies save money?
... As an example - a deal to keep open at Port Talbot will save 5,000 jobs, according to the government...
Bonnie Tyler on why she still adores Total Eclipse of the Heart
By Aimee Thomas & Lola MayorBBC Wales
There is no eclipsing Bonnie Tyler 's star talent.
After 55 years in the industry, the 72-year-old Welsh icon has worked with some of The Best in The Business and has billions of streams to prove it.
Now, 40 Years after Total Eclipse of The Heart was released, she still adores her biggest hit.
" I've done a lot in 40 Years but I never get tired of singing Total Eclipse of The Heart , " She Said .
Bonnie was born in a Council House in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot , as Gaynor Sullivan.
From a young age She Said she was " carrying records in carrier bags" up to her aunt's house, to play with her cousins.
She Said she loved rock music and wanted to be in A Band .
But, after seven years of performing at rugby and Working Men 's clubs, an opportunity to record came up as a surprise.
She Said : " When I starting singing I was 17 and all I wanted to do was be in A Band .
" I had no Big Ideas about being a recording artist but luckily for me Roger Bell , who worked for Chapel Music in London, discovered me in singing in a club in Swansea.
" He knew that Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolf were looking for a girl to record their songs so he told them about me.
" I went to London And One of The First demos I recorded was Lost in France And Then I was on Top Of The Pops . "
Bonnie went on to sign with Rca Records , who had had Elvis Presley on their books.
But the love of rock never left her and she wanted to do " more raunchier stuff".
That is when Total Eclipse of The Heart came along in 1983.
It spent three weeks at Number One in the UK and four in the USA. Its Music Video has recently surpassed a billion hits on YouTube.
" The First Time I Heard it I couldn't believe that he (Jim Steinmann) was giving me this song, " She Said .
" I recorded it in New York and The Way Jim works is you sing The Song through nine times and you decide which take has got The Best feel, which happened to be The Second . "
The only problem?
" It was just too long! "
The radio edit, cut from Eight Minutes to 4:50, was " perfect" but " broke Jim's heart" Bonnie added.
Bonnie went on to have hits with songs such as Holding Out For A Hero in 1984 and received several award nominations, including at the Grammys and Brit Awards.
She even represented the UK at Eurovision in 2013.
But one of Bonnie's highlights was getting awarded with an MBE from the late Queen Elizabeth Ii .
" I grew up in a Council House . I never thought I would have an MBE.
" It was even more special because it was the late wonderful Queen who put me in her last birthday honours, The Last one before she died, so it means really a lot to me. "
Bonnie has recently released a book, Straight from The Heart .
" I have been asked so many times and I always thought No One wants to read about me, " She Said .
" But they kept asking me and I thought well I'm 72 now and if I don't write it somebody will and it won't be The Right information as only I know My Life .
" Believe it or not I was a very shy Little Girl so how on earth I got to where I Am now is a bit of A Journey and I take you on that journey.
" I did not think this would happen to a Gaynor from Skewen, you know! "
Bonnie has some advice for other Young Girls wanting to follow in her footsteps.
" My Mother always brought me up To Believe in myself, " She Said .
" If you think you've got a talent go for it. Nobody is going to do it For You so try and make it Work Out and try and make your dreams come true. "
Bonnie said she is still following her dream, recording new music and touring - with 35 shows planned before Christmas.
" People often ask if I get Fed Up with singing Total Eclipse but of course I don't. I Iove it.
" I do a lot of the old and some of the new. I'm proud of all the songs I had success with. I'm enjoying The Ride .
" I'm not retiring. "
Bonnie, who loves her Welsh heritage, still spends a lot of Time In Swansea, down The Road from where she grew up.
She splits her time between Portugal and South Wales , and said it was The People who always brought her back.
" I love mumbles and the Gower coast, " She Said .
" When we get The Weather you couldn't be in a better place. I always loved it down this way and I like keeping close to My Family . "
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com
Port Talbot Photos
