Paula Whitbread-Roberts grew up in Leicester but the family moved to Cornwall when she was 19. She and her husband David WHITBREAD-ROBERTS met as students on the Art Foundation Diploma course at Falmouth College of Art. They went on to study for their BA (Hons) degrees in Fine Art at Winchester School of Art, followed by a PGCE at Brighton Poly. Paula is head of the Foundation Diploma in Art & Design at Truro College.

In November 2025 she was voted winner of the 'People's Choice' prize in the NSA Autumn Show, Perspectives, at Tremenheere Gallery, with 'Golden Hour'.