Donna Gibb/Connelly (Jo Goldie) 2003-2004

First Regular Appearance: 7.1 (#293) Groundhog Day  Sunday 28th September 2003

Last Regular Appearance: 7.23 (#315) Locked Out  Sunday 7th March 2004

Duration: EP: 293 - 315  |  SE: 7.1 – 7.23

Position: Harchester United Chairwoman (2004)

Last Seen: Leaving with a £200K cheque from Clyde, letting Dean believe she only made £1 from her shares.

Donna and her sister Karen grew up in Liverpool. More self-serving and money motivated than her big sister, Donna was always on the lookout for someone to give her a more exciting life. In 2001 she met Dean Boyle, the son of Karen’s new husband Tony. Dean wasn’t Donna’s perfect choice, but he was devoted enough to go along with anything she wanted and had a wallet, so was a safe bet. On the other hand, the older Tony provided the fun she desired - even if this one happened to be his wife’s sister/son’s girlfriend! Tony and Donna had a one-night-stand, and after this resentment set in between the two, with Donna holding their secret over Tony.

In May 2003, Karen organises Dean’s birthday to get he and Tony back on track following two years of no contact. The Boyle’s are Evertonian’s, and travel to Harchester for the final game of the season as Everton push for Europe. When Dean purchases Clyde Connelly’s tickets from Steve the tout, the Boyle's end up sitting in the home end of The Dragon's Lair. Donna finds it intolerable to sit through the whole ninety minutes, and goes off to smoke and take the number of an interested steward! Donna returns at the precise moment Phil Wallis is raffling off Harchester United - to the seat Donna is sitting in.

Donna has competition for the club's ownership, firstly from her own family after Dean's struggle to back her over Tony’s resentment sees her out of the fold, and Matt Webster, the man who owns seat #61 as a season ticket holder. She finds an ally in Clyde Connelly however, feeling neglected while his form on the pitch has been affected by his own claim to the club. Soon Donna is having an even worse effect on Clyde, and Stuart issues him with the warning that he ditches her or faces being dropped himself. Donna knows her testimony over how the Boyles bought from a tout will destroy her own claim, so Clyde gives Donna what she wanted from Dean - a wedding in Las Vegas.

After he is suspended by Stuart, and loses the respect of his team mates, Clyde drops his claim for ownership and Donna is left disappointed. So much so a little bit of boredom and Donna has slept with Curtis Alexander! When Tony Boyle reveals on national television what Donna and Curtis did, Clyde finishes with her, and she plots final revenge on Tony. On Christmas Day, she turns up at the Boyles’ announcing she is giving up her claim and just wants her family back. When alone with Tony at the club, Donna makes her move and with her finger over the loudspeaker, shows Karen and Dean exactly what Tony is like, enticing him to come onto her like he did before. It doesn’t go her way though, as Tony dies from a heart attack, and Karen disowns her sister. 

When the final decision on Harchester’s ownership awards 50% each to Donna and Dean, Dean vows to destroy the club so Donna is left with nothing. Just as Donna and Dean realise their responsibility, Coopers International Bank, the club’s biggest creditors, state that due to the extent of Harchester’s debts and turmoil they will liquidate the club if the team drops below sixth place. When Pilar manipulates Donna into rejecting an offer of £2M pounds from Sheik Al-Shaziz for her shares, and her own plan of persuading the Sheik to invest falls through, Harchester goes under.

In order to keep the club running in some capacity, Dean and Pilar attempt to convince Donna that she needs to do the right thing and accept the maximum offer for her shares, which is now one pound. Donna refuses to leave empty handed, and Clyde, overhearing, offers her the best she will get: £200,000 of his own money for Donna to sell. The club can continue and Donna moves on, with a final goodbye to her men Dean and Clyde before departing in a taxi.

Jo Goldie's Interview with Dream Team Diehard (February 2014)