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Rebekah Brooks’ PA Cheryl Carter earned £66,000 a year and went to school with former Eastenders star Ross Kemp, a court heard.
The Old Bailey earlier heard that seven boxes had been removed from News International's archive building and taken to Carter's house by her son Nick.
Within 24 hours of the the boxes' removal it was announced that the News of the World was to close.
However, Carter told police that the timing of the boxes removal was due to Brooks undergoing a fitness “boot camp” at home.
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Carter denied she was pressurised by Brooks, with whom she was close.
The Old Bailey heard that the pair mixed socially, especially while Brooks was married to actor Ross Kemp – who went to school with Carter.
Carter told detectives: "She (Brooks) helped me with my beauty and she recognised if you worked hard – and she's very good as a person to my children. She got Nick (Carter) a job as an editorial assistant. He went through a bad stage and he was lying in bed a lot and she got him a Saturday job. She gave him a purpose."
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Carter told detectives that she had thrown out and recycled around 30 archived notepads hours after the newspaper's closure had been announced.
However, she insisted that the notepads were hers from a beauty column she used to write.
Carter told officers that anything belonging to Brooks was returned to the office.
In a taped interview with police, she said Brooks' personal items included diaries, speeches, a signed football shirt and a party guest list for Ross Kemp, Brooks' former husband.
She said: "The stuff that was mine was a lot to do with when I was beauty editor.
"I used to do a column for two years. I tore them (notepads) up and put them into the recycling.
"Anything that was left just went back."
The defendants including Clive Goodman, Andy Coulson, Stuart Kuttner, Charles Brooks and Mark Hanna deny all the charges.
The trial adjourned until tomorrow.
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