On Tuesday’s episode of the popular ITV soap, Coronation Street welcomed a new character, Paula.
Coronation Street fans will be stunned on Tuesday’s episode as they instantly recognize the actress portraying newcomer Paula.
Recently, Debbie Webster found herself taking the blame for the crimes of her biological son, Carl Webster. During Debbie’s Christmas wedding to Ronnie Bailey, Carl’s deceit came to light. In a drunken state, he tried to drive off, and Debbie jumped into the car, hoping to stop him.
But a reckless Carl sped away with Debbie still inside, eventually crashing in the Corriedale car pile-up, which tragically claimed the life of Billy Mayhew. Knowing he would face arrest for drink-driving, Carl moved an unconscious Debbie into the driver’s seat and attempted to flee before collapsing.
Despite being fully aware that Carl had set her up, Debbie chose to take the fall to protect her son. Earlier this month, she finally faced her day in court.
The judge had initially planned a four-year sentence for Debbie, but after her guilty plea and her dementia diagnosis, it was reduced to two years and eight months.
Now in prison, Debbie has been assigned an inmate to look after her—and she’s far from happy that it’s her former neighbour-from-hell, Lou Michaelis.
On Tuesday’s episode, available now on ITV X, viewers met another inmate, Paula. During the episode, Debbie accidentally called Lou “Abi” and explained that she is experiencing the onset of dementia. Meanwhile, Paula recognized Debbie, while Lou warned her that Paula is dangerous and best avoided. But as Lou walked away, Paula marked Debbie’s card and reminded her of the time Debbie barred her from the hotel.
Paula is portrayed by actress Kelli Hollis. Soap fans will be stunned, as they’ll immediately recognize the actress from her many television roles over the years.
The 49-year-old actress is best known for her role as Ali Spencer in Emmerdale, which she played from 2011 to 2015. Kelli Hollis’s other credits include portraying Yvonne Karib in Channel 4’s comedy-drama Shameless for six years, as well as Tina Crabtree in the three Channel 4-related films: Tina Goes Shopping, Tina Takes a Break, and Mischief Night.
She has also appeared in Clink, Ackley Bridge, Dalziel and Pascoe, Waterloo Road, See No Evil, and Playing the Field.
In spoilers for later this week, Debbie is minding her own business in her cell when Paula suddenly barges in. Paula quickly breaks down in tears, revealing that her boyfriend has dumped her and is serving time for aggravated burglary. As Debbie tries to offer comfort, the question remains: how will Paula respond?
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