Real life of Corrie's Elaine actress from famous husbands to personal tragedy
It's been almost three years since Paula Wilcox was introduced on Coronation Street as Tim Metcalfe's long-lost mother Elaine Jones.
Previously known as Philippa, Elaine suffered at the hands of evil Geoff Metcalfe before fleeing his abuse after becoming frightened for her life.
However, she was forced to leave her son behind.
Tim was told by his dad that Elaine had died from cancer, but the mother and son reunited after Elaine came out of hiding to help Geoff's third wife Yasmeen Nazir.
Yasmeen had also been abused by Geoff until he fell to his death from a roof trying while trying to attack her.
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It looked like things were finally looking up for Elaine after she was able to develop a good relationship with her son, until she recently got engaged to serial killer Stephen Reid.
Elaine has become a firm fan favourite (ITV)While Corrie fans know the truth about Stephen, and how he is only with Elaine for her money, she is yet to find out and it looks like it won't end well.
What fans may not know, playing Elaine wasn't Paula's first time on the cobbles.
In fact, she began her career on the ITV soap back in 1969 when she played Tracy Barlow's aunt Janice Langton who left home to move in with her brother Ray.
Just three weeks after her debut, Janice ran off with Ray's money and left the soap.
The first time Paula appeared in Corrie was in 1969 (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)The veteran actress went on to enjoy a career which has so far spanned more than 50 years.
After her first Corrie role, she starred on the Granada TV show The Lovers in the 1970s alongside Kate Beckinsale's actor dad, Richard Beckinsale.
They played the loved-up couple Geoffrey and Beryl in the comedy series, which was later made into a film.
However, Paula is perhaps most famous for her role as Chrissy Plummer in Man About The House in the 70s, which quickly earned her "sex symbol" status and she became a household name.
She rose to fame on Man About The House (ITV)The Manchester-born actress previously told Woman's Weekly magazine: "I definitely still get recognised from Man About the House.
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"I get taxi drivers saying they used to be in love with me, and I say, 'What do you mean, used to be?'"
She added: "It's very flattering after all this time. It was a lovely programme and it's nice to be recognised for something that was dear to people's hearts."
Paula also went on to star in the sitcom The Liver Birds, Only Fools and Horses and in Emmerdale as Laurel's mum Hilary.
Paula is currently acting in Coronation Street (ITV)Despite her successful career, Paula has dealt with some personal tragedies including the death of her first husband when she was just 29 years old.
The TV star was married to fellow actor Derek Seaton for 10 years after meeting him when he was producing a play at the National Youth Theatre.
They tied the knot in 1969 when Paula was 19 and they went on to star together in Man About The House.
Sadly, Derek died in 1979 from a brain haemorrhage aged just 35.
Paula later said the tragedy made her a "different person" and revealed it taught her to cope with whatever life threw at her.
Paula found love again with second husband Nelson Skip Riddle (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
The couple have been married since 1991 (Getty Images)She told The Telegraph in 2014: "It was bloody young. I was thinking about this the other day and I realised that at the time I had spent a third of my life with him [Derek]. It was a shock.
"But I think with any kind of tragedy or setback – and you know, we’ve all had them, it's really about how you deal with it.
"Any tragedy becomes part of you. It becomes part of who you are."
Paula threw herself into work to cope with the devastating loss.
However, she found love again 12 years later with her second husband Nelson 'Skip' Riddle, who she lives with in south London.
Skip has his own claim to fame, as he is the son of American composer and arranger Nelson Smock Riddle.
His father worked with some of the most famous singers in the world in the 1950s and 1960s including greats like Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole.
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