A mum bought the "Worst House on the Street" after deciding to move closer to her family who suffered a number of horrific tragedies.
Paula Newman charted her home renovation on national television and shared her experience with the ECHO after experiencing a number of deaths in her family. The 42-year-old decided to appear on Worst House on the Street, hosted by brother and sister property developers Scarlette and Stuart Douglas.
The show helps families overhaul their run down houses into dream spaces on a budget. Earlier this month the show featured Paula, an operations manager, who works for children's intellectual property and entertainment company Fourth Wall on Bold Street.
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Paula said she was tagged in the casting call for show around Christmas 2021. She told the ECHO : "I’d actually had a few wines and thought it’d be fun to apply.
"If anything, these things are a good experience for the children. My dates matched with the production schedule, so I thought, why not?"
Paula was brought up around the Hoylake and Meols areas of the Wirral, but moved away to university, living in London for a decade. She re-settled in Cheshire and started a family, but found herself back on the Wirral following a divorce.
However, it was a family tragedy that led her back to West Kirby. She said: "Having lost my sister and her baby suddenly in 2012, I knew I wanted to be near my family.
"Sadly, my late sister’s nine year-old daughter, Lucy, was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour in 2017 and our family went through more heartache." Brave Lucy Moroney was struck with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an aggressive brain cancer with a 0% survival rate in the UK.
The family set up Lucy's Pineapple Fund, raising a staggering amount to send the little girl for pioneering treatment in Mexico. Despite initially improving, Lucy sadly passed away in 2018 aged ten.
Paula said: "That made me even more determined to remain close-by. My family is everything to me."
Paula told the ECHO she "really enjoyed" her Worst House on the Street experience on the whole, but there were times when things could be a bit stressful, especially with production deadlines.
She said: "The production team were so friendly and helpful, I definitely wouldn’t have enjoyed it so much without them. I also really benefited from the tips they gave me, I know a lot of people are sceptical and think these things are very staged, but I was really impressed with the edit and how it came out because it was generally very truthful."
She also had a lot of creative freedom, adding: "The interior designer that did assist interviewed me in depth and knew exactly what my likes and dislikes were. It’s hard to tell what the outcome would’ve been without them here, however I definitely feel like I’ve benefited."
Paula also gave the ECHO an insight into her interior style - she "loves" solid, mid-century furniture and a splash of pink: "But only a hint, I’d hate too much of it. Too much of anything is definitely a bad thing!"
In terms of taking on another renovation project, Paula isn't interested: "I wasn’t looking for a money-making project, I was looking for a home or somewhere I could make a home for me and my children. The important thing is that we feel comfortable here and if I had to go through it again I would, but only for the kids."
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