Paula was a classmate of Jenny Bradley and Flick Khan's at the Poly in 1990. During a coffee break at college, Flick complained to Paula about their fellow classmate Rodney Whitworth, who she'd let kip on 7 Coronation Street's sofa for a few nights when he was kicked out of his digs. In just one day, Rod had used her file as an ashtray, left his dirty clothes in the washing machine, and taken over the living room. Flick was afraid that he would come between her and Jenny, who hadn't wanted Rod there in the first place. Drinking her coffee with sugar, Paula suggested that she might lose her "beautiful house" - a label which amused Flick, for whom No.7 wasn't more than a convenience.