Born in Manchester, Paula Wilcox, 76, moved to London aged 17 to join the National Youth Theatre and was cast in Jack\u00a0Rosenthal\u2019s 1970 television sitcom The\u00a0Lovers, which ran for two\u00a0series and became a film. She also appeared in The Liver Birds, Man\u00a0About the House and Miss Jones and Son, and she played two characters in Coronation Street. On stage she starred in Shirley Valentine, Great\u00a0Expectations and Canary. Her recent TV work includes Trying, The Cleaner, Avoidance and Channel 5\u2019s new drama The Fortune. She is married and lives in London.<\/p>\n
What is your greatest fear?
Being run over by a cyclist on a\u00a0pavement or pedestrian crossing, because it\u2019s nearly happened too\u00a0frequently.<\/p>\n
What is the trait you most deplore\u00a0in\u00a0yourself?
I\u2019m very impatient \u2013 next question.<\/p>\n
What is the trait you most deplore\u00a0in\u00a0others?
Complaining about the weather, because there\u2019s nothing you can do about it. There\u2019s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.<\/p>\n
Describe yourself in three words
Impatient, funny, worrier.<\/p>\n
What would your superpower be?
To be able to fly. When I played Peter\u00a0Pan I flew in a harness, and\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0a fantastic feeling.<\/p>\n
What makes you unhappy?
Having nothing to do.<\/p>\n
What scares you about getting older?
Not to be able to do the things that you\u00a0take for granted, like running up the tube steps or going somewhere under your own steam.<\/p>\n
What is the worst thing anyone\u2019s\u00a0said\u00a0to you?
We\u2019ve run out of champagne.<\/p>\n
Would you choose fame or\u00a0anonymity?
Anonymity. The fame thing was such\u00a0a\u00a0shock when I was first in Coronation Street. I played Janice Langton \u2013 she was 17 and had run away from borstal \u2013 and the day after the first episode went out, I was at the\u00a0shops and people started shouting my Coronation Street name, and I\u00a0didn\u2019t know what to do.<\/p>\n
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Bovril.<\/p>\n
What does love feel like?
Wow.<\/p>\n
What is the worst job you\u2019ve done?
I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever done a job that\u00a0I\u00a0hate. I worked as a temp briefly\u00a0when I was out of work and\u00a0it\u00a0was fun.<\/p>\n