Paula Hamilton
| Paula Hamilton | |
|---|---|
| Born |
23 January 1961 Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England |
| Website | www |
| Modelling information | |
| Height | 5 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1.740 m) |
| Hair colour | Brunette |
| Eye colour | Hazel |
Paula Hamilton (born 23 January 1961) is an English model. She is best known for her appearance in the classic 1987 Mk II Volkswagen Golf TV advert Changes. In 2006, she returned to public recognition as a judge on Britain's Next Top Model, for two cycles.
Hamilton's father died before her birth, and after her birth her mother moved to South Africa, where she was brought up by her mother and stepfather.
The family moved to Hertfordshire when she was eight years old. Hamilton has four half-siblings. Aged 11, she learned that her real father was not Ian Gunner Hamilton, but family friend John Johnston.
Hamilton is dyslexic, and didn't learn to read and write until she was 11. For several years she attended Burnham Secondary Modern School near Slough under the name Paula Sherrin. Hamilton attended the Licensed Victuallers' School, then in Slough, along with Nicholas and Simon Cowell, who both attended for one year.
At the age of 17, after appearing in pornographic poses and after several rejections as a model, she moved to Tokyo, Japan and worked for 18 months. She then established herself in Australia and Germany, before moving to Italy.
Returning to the UK, she was discovered by photographer David Bailey, and as a result became the main model of the Queen's couturier Sir Hardy Amies. During a tough interview with top Italian photographer Fabrizio Ferrei, Hamilton was told her hair was too long for the job. She promptly cut her hair, got the job, and went on to learn the tricks of the trade at Ferrei's side.
Hamilton reached the zenith of her modelling career at the age of 26, when she appeared in an iconic 1987 television advert for the Volkswagen Golf. Changes starred Hamilton, made up to resemble Diana, Princess of Wales. She is seen leaving her husband, posting her wedding ring back through the letterbox, throwing her pearl necklace, throwing her brooch towards a cat and ditching her fur coat – but keeping the car keys. "If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen" ran the tagline. The advert began a new era in car advertising.
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