Ella Forster is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Paula Lane.

Ella is introduced at a vet gala and immediately loses her job when she stands up for Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley), who she becomes friends with.

Ella then is offered a job at the new doctors surgery, where she develops a romance with her colleague, Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson).

[1][2][3] It was reported that Ella would meet Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) and her partner Paddy Dingle (Dominic Brunt) at the veterinary ball, which would lead to Ella losing her job after sticking up for Mandy, but then would find "luck" when she has a "chance encounter" with Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker).

[6] Craig Jones from Leeds Live reported that the Emmerdale team were "delighted" by Lane's casting.

We are absolutely thrilled to welcome an actor of Paula's calibre to the show and we can't wait to have her light up our screens.

"[7][8] Lane had previously auditioned for the roles of Gennie Walker, Holly Barton and a lawyer on the soap.

[9] In 2023, Lane invited the Emmerdale casting team to see her perform in the play Quality Street, which led to her being contacted about the role of Ella.

[9] Lane said that was she was "so excited" to be joining the Emmerdale cast, adding, "Everyone has been so welcoming and I can't wait to start a new chapter playing the role of Ella.

I've already heard there are big plans for her and I can't wait to see her navigate a new life in the village and hopefully make some friends!

[4] Lane believed that being on Emmerdale seemed like a "natural fit" after being in ITV's Coronation Street, but wanted to develop something "completely different" from what people had seen from her character, Kylie Platt, during her time on the rival soap.

[13] Lane has said that she believed that it was important to her to develop a "brand new character" that is different from what the audience has seen through her work on Coronation Street.

[4] Ella then pours a drink over Jules when he continues making rude comments towards Mandy, which leads her to losing her job.

[19] Their other colleague, Wendy Posner (Susan Cookson), who had previously had an affair with Liam, notices the pair's "playful vibe" and believes that a romantic spark is developing.

[17] Calli Kitson from Metro questioned whether this was because Ella does not want to be the "centre of village chatter" or whether she is hiding a "dark secret.

[23] Speaking of the scene, Lane said that Ella puts her "heart on the line" and the action is "enough to tell him that she means business".

[23] Sarah Waterfall from What's On TV explained that whilst Liam is going on dates with Ella, it is Chas who he "really wants", and that Leyla's advice has now ruined it.

The following day, Ella and Mandy meet up to talk about what has happened, and their conversation is overheard by local GP Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker).

Manpreet notices the attraction and is not happy, so she organises a meeting with Wendy, Ella and Liam to talk about appropriate behaviour in the workplace.

[26][27] Speaking of the character's debut, Maisie Spackman from Metro wrote "Frankly, we can't wait!

[30] Months later, Charlotte Tutton from the Daily Mirror noted how fans had "long predicted" that Ella is secretly linked to another Emmerdale character.

[31] Tutton also noted how fans had theorised that Ella is in cahoots with Thomas King (James Chase) and is secretly his sister Anya King, whilst others theorised that Ella was seeking revenge for Manpreet's serial killer sister, Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu).

[11] Alison Slade from TV Times believed that Liam is "too much of a gentlemen/wimp" to reject Ella's proposal and thus "finds himself lumbered with a girlfriend he doesn't want".

[36] The following month, Laura-Jayne Tyler from the same magazine was confused by the fact that Wendy reminded Ella of Dolores Umbridge, writing "Okay... that's some leap".

Yet the one thing we can surely agree on is the performance of Paula Lane, who totally blew our socks off while portraying the harrowing details of her character's past.

[39] Lewis Knight from Radio Times called Ella a "feisty receptionist" with a "shocking backstory", and questioned whether she would find peace before her departure.