Paterniti was born in 1987 and grew up in
Perth, Western Australia with two other siblings. She became involved with dramatic arts from an early age, and at the age of 13 enrolled at the
John Curtin College of the Arts, a high school in
Fremantle, Western Australia. Following her graduation from the college, Paterniti furthered her studies at
Curtin University, where she performed in many theatrical productions including
Romeo and Juliet,
Cloudstreet and
The Trojan Women. While still attending the university, she appeared in a short film
Some Dreams Come True, and was cast in the children's television series'
Wormwood, and
Stormworld, an Australian-Canadian sci-fi series. In 2009, Paterniti appeared in a recurring role as "Summer" in the
Seven Network series
Packed to the Rafters during its
second season. She received her first lead role in the short-lived police drama series
Cops L.A.C., which starred
Kate Ritchie. Paterniti has been cast in three Australian feature films. In 2010, she appeared in
Griff the Invisible,
Sleeping Beauty in 2011, and
Redd Inc. in 2012, in the leading female role. Paterniti had a lead role in the Seven Network soap opera
Home and Away, playing
Tamara Kingsley. The character first appeared in the episode that aired on 1 October 2012, during the series' twenty-fifth season. Her character's first storyline saw her trying to save
Casey Braxton (
Lincoln Younes), who had been kidnapped by his brother
Kyle Braxton (
Nic Westaway). Paterniti was later promoted to the main cast. She decided to leave the series at end of 2013 to pursue new acting roles, and made her final screen appearance as Tamara on 21 May 2014. Paterniti has performed in many theatrical productions in Sydney. She received critical acclaim for her performance as Helen in
David Williamson's
The Emerald City for
Griffin Theatre Company in 2014. In 2015 she played the role of Celia in
Bell Shakespeare's production of
As You Like It. In 2016 she played Juliet in Bell Shakespeare's
Romeo and Juliet. Her portrayal of the character was described as "chatty, lively, straightforward and very amusing" and in the character's transition from "doe-eyed innocent to young woman defining herself against her family...a thrill to watch." ==Personal life==