Coronation Street viewers have been introduced to new inmate Paula, played by actress Kelli Hollis. The character arrives as a fellow prisoner alongside Debbie Webster, who is serving time for dangerous driving. But the actress behind the troublemaker has experienced plenty of real-life drama of her own.
Kelli Hollis is best known for her six-year stint as Yvonne Karib in Channel 4's Shameless. She also appeared in Ackley Bridge, Waterloo Road, and the TV film See No Evil about the Moors Murders. In 2011, she joined Emmerdale as Ali Spencer, a role she played until 2015 before her character was killed off-screen in a car crash.
After leaving Emmerdale, Hollis moved to Thailand with her partner Martin, where they ran a weed bar named La Choza Pratumnak. Cannabis is permitted for personal consumption in Thailand. She lived there for two-and-a-half years before returning to the UK in November.
Kelli has also spoken openly about her father, Gwynne, a convicted drug kingpin who received a 17-year prison sentence for conspiring to supply class A drugs. She said she always knew what he did but that he encouraged her to stay away from that life. 'I will always be grateful for that,' she told the Manchester Evening News.
