Paul Rigby Paul Rigby was the landlord of the White Swan and husband of Stella . Paul was an older man with a large moustache and an out - of - control libido . He was rarely seen in his wife ' s company , preferring to spend his evenings chasing skirt , with a passion for young bimbos . His nocturnal activities were a known fact to Stella , but she tolerated it on the understanding the young ladies were just humouring her randy husband . Others heard differently ; Alec Gilroy had seen Paul in a few situations were no one would think he was anybody ' s husband . Due to Bet Gilroy ' s friendship with Stella , Paul paid the occasional visit to the Rovers Return , and he considered himself a friend of Alec ' s - a sentiment Alec did not share . In December 1988 , he saw Alec to tell him that Stella and Bet , who were missing from a health farm they were staying at , were living it up in a local hotel as they couldn ' t stand the health farm regime . Alec was pleased at having the opportunity to take the mickey out of Bet when she came home and pretended that she ' d seen it through to the end . The following April , with Alec two months into a theatrical tour of the Middle East , Bet was missing male company and agreed to go out on the town with Paul , who told her that Alec had asked him to look in on her . A fun evening was followed by two others , which set tongues wagging , with cellarman Jack Duckworth making a dreadful attempt at warning Paul off . To prove there was nothing in their dates , Bet and Paul set off from the Rovers bar , with Bet looking a million dollars . Bet saw Paul merely as good company , and had no intention of being unfaithful to Alec , but she had to slap him back on one occasion when his hand slipped in the back of a taxi . Paul apologised to Bet the following day and they made up , but Bet made it clear that he wouldn ' t get a third chance . Paul ' s absences from the marital home were scarcely noticed by Stella , who was well used to it . Calling on Bet to discuss the matter , Stella told her with some amusement about Paul ' s transparent tale about playing cards all night , and wondered where he found his tarty and cheap lady companions , remarking that they ' d passed their sell - by date on Woolworths ' counter . Bet admitted that Paul had been to the Rovers to see how she was , but didn ' t tell Stella about their nights out . Bet and Paul were rumbled when Alec returned home from his tour three weeks early , while Bet and Paul were on a date . Though the staff raced to locate and warn Bet , they were unsuccessful , and Bet didn ' t find out until she stumbled through the back door with Paul chaperoning her . Paul quickly devised a story where Bet had called on Stella and he ' d driven her home , but their guilty behaviour told Alec a different story , and he convinced himself that she ' d been unfaithful . In the ensuing weeks , Bet and Alec sought a divorce and battled for control of the Rovers . Hearing about Alec ' s allegations , Stella turned up at the Rovers to tell Alec there was no chance Bet and Paul were having an affair as Bet was too old for Paul . However , after a graphic description of the state they ' d been in when Alec confronted them , Stella changed her mind , and fell out with Bet . The misunderstanding was cleared up weeks later when Bet and Alec , tired from fighting each other , dropped their guards and Alec accepted that Bet was being truthful . In June 1990 , Paul visited the Rovers to pledge support for the Gilroys in behalf of the Licenced Victuallers Association , of which he was the chair that year , regarding their battle with Newton & Ridley . Bet and Alec were facing eviction for refusing to go along with brewery plans to turn the Rovers into an American theme pub called Yankees . Alec was warmed by the news - but when Paul revealed that his " support " only went as far as giving the matter a full airing at next month ' s meeting , with Paul and Stella off to the Algarve in the meantime , Alec quickly soured .