Coronation Street fans were left devastated in 2016 when character Kylie Platt was killed off in a brutal stabbing.
She was forging plans to leave the Street after villain Callum Logan was killed in her house – but encountered Clayton Hibbs and succumbed to fatal stab wounds in an attempt to protect Gemma Winter.
But actress Paula Lane’s acting journey was far from over when she quit the cobbles for good.
READ MORE: Coronation Street fans floored as Phill star shows off real accent in sweet video
She has enjoyed an extensive theatre career, along with a stint in hit BBC period drama Call the Midwife.
Daily Star have taken a look inside Paula’s life since quitting Corrie on the fifth anniversary of Kylie's death.
Glam transformation
Far from her so-called ‘chavvy’ appearance in Corrie, Paula actually leads a very glam life.
She regularly keeps her social media followers updated on what’s going on in her life, recently sharing a low-key bedroom snap as she documented the progress of growing out her fringe.
Paula looked fresh-faced in a grey sweatshirt and natural makeup, with her long lashes framing her hazel eyes.
A leopard-print bandana secured her brunette bob back from her face, as Paula added the caption: "So thankful for a headband when growing out a fringe! Loving my jumper from @neonsheepbarn a cheeky sale purchase. C’est La Vie!"
In another chic snap, Paula could be seen wearing her hair in a bouffant style as she posed in a spaghetti strap grey vest top.
She paired the look with bright pink lipstick and nude eyeshadow, posing next to a bright blue statue of a cockerel.
The actress cheekily wrote alongside the snap: "Do any of you lovely people have a cockerel in your bathroom?"
Co-star hubby
Though many people might not be aware, Paula is actually married to one of her Coronation Street co-stars.
She tied the knot with her long-term partner Tom Shaw back in May 2014, in a sweet ceremony at Leeds Cathedral.
Tom appeared in Corrie in April and June 2017 as Kim Vaughan, a pal of Fiz Stape, and later returned to the role in May and June 2018.
His character Kim was brought up in the same care home as Fiz, and lost contact for decades before reuniting, much to Fiz’s then-partner Tyrone’s disgruntlement.
That isn’t Tom’s only soap role – he also appeared as Tim in Hollyoaks in 2014 and then as PC Craig Bishop in Emmerdale for eight episodes spanning 2014-2019.
He’s also appeared in shows like Doctors, Casualty and The Inbetweeners.
Paula was left devastated when her hubby returned to Weatherfield in 2018, writing on Twitter: "When @ITVCorrie scripts come through the letterbox then I realise they’re not for me! @SirTomShaw over to you!"
Family life
Paula and Tom share two children together – daughter Penny, four, and son Arthur, six.
In May this year, Paula was left shocked as a child told her daughter she was "too fat" to play a game.
Taking to Twitter to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, Paula wrote: "My 4 year old daughter came home last night and said that a child not much older had said she was too fat to play their game.
"Made my head spin. Let’s teach our children to be kind."
Many of Paula’s 230,000 followers sprung to her defence at the time.
Paula tends to keep her family quite private, but opened up to OK! Magazine at the time of Penny’s birth back in 2016.
She told the publication: "We hired a birthing pool. This time I felt like I'd really cleansed the room. Everything just seemed right.
"Arthur's birth was magical but it was traumatic. This time around was the polar opposite. I felt so in control and really calm.
"The midwives said: 'Look, your baby is there in the water.' I looked and there she was with her eyes open, just swimming in the water.
"I'm not saying it was easy, but it was the perfect birth."
And it looks like the couple are set to expand their family once more, as earlier this month Paula announced they would be getting a puppy.
Sharing an adorable black-and-white snap of she and her hubby holding two tiny black bundles of fur, Paula wrote: "Met these little babies today.
"Well one of them is coming home with us in October!"
Call the Midwife stint
Paula’s acting career didn’t end with Kylie’s Corrie exit.
In 2019, she took to the stage to appear in a touring production of popular musical Kinky Boots.
And in 2018, she appeared in Corrie-themed play Be More Martyn, which documented the life of Coronation Street superfan Martyn Hett.
Martyn was tragically killed in the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017, and the tribute play to his life included interview quotes from his closest friends.
He previously made headlines for getting a tattoo of Corrie icon Deidre Barlow on his leg.
Paula also appeared as expectant mum Vera Sands in hit BBC period drama Call the Midwife, admitting she was “over the moon” to be cast.
Speaking to RadioTimes, Paula confessed: "I was waiting ages and I thought, ‘Oh, maybe it’s gone.’ But I was very fortunate because I’d worked with the director before, she knows my work ethic and I thought, ‘Maybe I’ve got a bit of a chance here,’ but obviously it’s not a given.
"Then a few days later they said that I’d got the job. So I was really over the moon."
Paula said there "couldn’t have been a better Christmas present" for her and her family.
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV at 8pm
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