Paula Hamilton (born 23 January 1958) is an English supermodel, most famous for her appearance in the classic 1987 Mk II Volkswagen Golf TV advert "Changes".
Paula Hamilton | |
|---|---|
| Modeling information | |
| Height | 5'ft 8½"in ( 1.74 m ) |
| Hair color | Brunette |
| Eye color | Blue |
Early life and career
Brought up in South Africa by her mother and an abusive stepfather, she was 11 when her grandmother told her that her real father was actually a family friend in County Durham. She met him once, but her mother later insisted he was not her father. It wasn't until Hamilton was 27 that her mother admitted she had been lying. By then, however, the man had been dead for 13 years, having been murdered with a pickaxe handle[1].
After being discovered by photographer David Bailey, she became the main model of the Queen's couturier Sir Hardy Amies. Her successful modelling career was, however, hampered by her battles against alcohol, cocaine and depression.
Hamilton reached the zenith of her modelling career at the age of 27, when she became a household name as the star of one of the most iconic television adverts of the 1980s, for the Volkswagen Golf - the popularity in the UK of the Mk II drew from the 1987 advert. "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 and ditching her mink coat, chucking the house keys at the cat, rejecting the fur coat and pearl necklace - 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 (Armstrong 1998 p15)[2]
Personal life
In her personal life, Hamilton had problems with drug addiction and alcoholism. These problems began to affect her career, and by 1988 she had quit modelling. Following a brief marriage in 1987 to cameraman Danny Mindel, her turbulent love life included an affair with former Tory party Treasurer Lord Ashcroft, who was (and remains) married to his second wife, Susie. Their romance began when the wealthy tycoon offered a $200 donation to Hamilton's elephant charity "Tusk Force", if she agreed to dance with him. Lord Ashcroft paid for her to attend an alcoholic rehabilitation centre in Florida after she was arrested for cracking a taxi windscreen, but their romance ended soon afterwards.
A former Life Guards captain, Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, proposed to Hamilton, but abandoned her two days later. She tried to hang herself from a chandelier but the chain broke - a later attempt involved trying to drown herself. Attempts to overcome her alcoholism floundered and Hamilton moved to New Zealand, only to notch up a couple of drunk driving convictions, one of which involved her lying in the road in protest after three terrified hitchhikers snatched her car keys after she started to swig from a bottle of vodka while driving[3].
In 2004, then living with her elderly mother in Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire, said: "My mother has sorted me out. She's put the brakes on the madness and I think I have got my drinking under control. It's a constant battle but I am determined to succeed."
In 2006, it was announced that Hamilton, at the age of 48, has been re-signed by the leading agency Models1, who hope to capitalise on the popularity of more mature models led by Twiggy and her successful advertising campaign for Marks & Spencer[4]. She has also been signed up to become a mentor and judge on the second series of Britain's Next Top Model on Living TV, to be presented by Lisa Snowdon[5]
Trivia
- She often refers to herself in the third person, using the name Polly.
References
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml;jsessionid=NTZD4SOZQXOYNQFIQMGCFFOAVCBQUIV0?xml=/arts/2006/05/19/fthamilton19.xml&page=2
- ^ http://www.matey-matey.com/dis_6.shtml
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml;jsessionid=NTZD4SOZQXOYNQFIQMGCFFOAVCBQUIV0?xml=/arts/2006/05/19/fthamilton19.xml&page=2
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/15/nmodel15.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/01/15/ixhome.html
- ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=380407&in_page_id=1773&ito=1490