Paula Hamilton (born 23 January 1960) is an English model. She is best known for her appearance in the 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. Early life Hamilton's father died in Liverpool before her birth, after which 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 five half-siblings. Aged 11, she learned that her real father was not Thomas "Ian Gunner" Hamilton, but a family friend, John Johnson. Hamilton is dyslexic, and did not learn to read and write until she was 11. For several years she attended Burnham Secondary Modern School near Slough under the name of Paula Sherrin. She later attended the Licensed Victuallers' School, which was then in Slough, along with Nicholas and Simon Cowell, who were both at the school for one year. Career At the age of 18, after appearing in pornographic poses and after several rejections as a model, Hamilton moved to Tokyo, Japan and worked for 18 months. She then established herself in Australia and Germany, before moving to Italy. Returning to England, Hamilton was discovered by the 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 27, 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. She went into rehab in her twenties having become addicted to cocaine, after being introduced to the drug by her agent. She was clean of drugs for seven years before