Bell's third-place finish at the 1981 AAAs Indoor Championships behind Kirsty McDermott and Lorraine Baker would be her last medal at a national championships until she won the 1987 AAAs indoor title in 2:04.18, ahead of Baker. At the 1987 European Indoor Championships, she ran 2:03.24 in her heat to qualify for the final as a fastest loser, where she finished seventh in 2:05.92. A month later at the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Indianapolis, she ran 2:03.45 to finish second in her heat and improved to 2:02.96 for fifth in the final. Outdoors, she finished third at the UK Championships behind Diane Edwards and Shireen Bailey in 2:02.41, before achieving her lifetime best with 2:01.40 on 11 July at the Crystal Palace in London.