With her wacky behaviour and no-nonsense nature, Paula Hamilton has fast become the most talked about character to come out of this year’s Celebrity Big Brother.
But while some viewers were left shocked by the colourful stories from her past, incessant name-dropping and fiery tantrums over being the first celeb to be evicted, the iconic model says the show marked a “new chapter” in her roller-coaster life.
Feisty Paula, who’s survived drug and alcohol addiction and several suicide attempts, tells Closer: “I was raised in South Africa by Zulu warriors so I’m a fighter. In 2010, people labelled me mad [when Paula initially failed psychological tests for CBB] but I’m determined to change those perceptions.
“I’ve turned my life around and nothing’s going to stop me making my comeback.”
'I'll never regret having a boob job- I love them so much. When I go on holiday I make two holes in the sand for them to rest in!'
A size zero (a tiny UK size 4), Paula, 55, who was dubbed the “face of the ’80s” after starring in a car advert, but took a break from showbiz after quitting her role as head judge on Britain’s Next Top Model in 2007, certainly isn’t insecure about her body.
“Check out these puppies!” she laughs as she rips open her dressing gown to reveal her pert, surgically enhanced breasts. “I’ll never regret having a boob job – I love them so much. When I go on a beach holiday, I make two holes in the sand for them to rest in!
“I love being naked and admiring my body. I grew up without any clothes on. It only gets annoying when you fall on to an ants’ nest!”
Although Paula swears she never goes to the gym because she can’t bear to “suck in other people’s sweat and oxygen,” she says doing yoga three times a week and freestyle rock climbing has transformed her body.
She says: “I discovered yoga six years ago and it’s given me the body of a teenager.
I practise yoga and meditation for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at night and it makes me feel so toned and energetic.
'I discovered yoga six years ago and it's given me the body of a teenager'
“I have amazing flexibility and use trees to perfect my acrobatic poses. I tell people that a baby monkey first taught me how to do it!”
And although 5ft 8 Paula usually weighs 9st thanks to an organic diet of banana and soya yoghurt for breakfast, stir-fried nettles (which she forages for herself), potatoes and onions for lunch, and a rabbit stew for dinner, she says she dropped a stone through nervous energy after just one week in the CBB house.
The model, who has a tiny 24in waist, says: “I shrank to 8st. I think being on live TV made me forget about eating a balanced diet and I burnt off a lot through nervous energy!
“Since leaving the house, I’ve put on half a stone by stuffing my face with cottage pie and lasagne, but I want to get back to my normal size.
“I hated seeing my ribs sticking out. I don’t want to be super-skinny. I want a butt like J-Lo’s.”
While Paula’s ruled out children, she’s still open to getting married. She says: “I don’t need kids – I have 18 nieces and nephews. I still believe in marriage – I just wish Pierce Brosnan was available!”
Then Paula, who admits she has Botox every six months and is planning a lower neck lift, jokes: “For now I’m content with my pet coconut Boris. He goes everywhere with me. We have chats in the bath and he gives me advice like a gay best friend. Sadly he’s hairless now, but I suppose you have to expect that with age.”
Paula – who was diagnosed with dyslexia, dyspraxia and Asperger syndrome in 2007 – was deemed too mentally unstable to take part in CBB three years ago. She successfully passed tests this time after seeing her own psychologist who helped her to “improve her mental wellbeing.”
'I only drink white wine and champagne. I set myself a limit and I never drink spirits'
After staying sober for eight years, Paula, who went to rehab in her 20s after blowing an estimated £2million on cocaine, admits she started drinking again last April. But she’s adamant that she won’t relapse.
She says: “I don’t need to fill a hole in my life now. Being diagnosed with mental illness helped me cope with being different.
“I only drink white wine and champagne, even though it gives me wind. I set myself a limit and I never drink spirits.”
Now Paula says she’s looking forward to spending more time with her new friends, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, who she met and bonded with in the CBB house.
She says: “They’ve invited me to their homes in Colorado and Florida and I can’t wait! They get bad press but they’re actually really lovely people. We’re going to walk the dogs, cook meals and swim with dolphins.”
But Paula admits she won’t be keeping in touch with Ryan Moloney, Neighbours’ Toadfish, who she took a dislike to.
She adds, chuckling: “I told him he’d be perfect for the Toad Of Toad Hall panto!”