Emmerdale surgery receptionist Ella Forster has been raising fans’ hackles since she arrived on the ITV soap – with plenty connecting her to serial killer Meena Jutla.
Played by Paula Lane – who made her name as Kylie Platt in rival soap Coronation Street – Ella landed a job with Liam Cavanagh and Manpreet Sharma at the surgery. But in recent weeks, Ella has been acting shifty, and clams up whenever she’s confronted about her past.
Manpreet found her sleeping in her car, claiming her landlord kicked her out, and soon moved in with Liam. But when Mandy Dingle stumbled across a photo of a young Ella with another girl, she quickly snatched it back.
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Now she’s been spotted visiting a mystery woman at a care home – and fans’ questions are only growing. So who is Ella and who could she be connected to?
Tom King’s sister
Some eagle-eyed viewers are certain Ella could be working with Tom to wreak revenge on the village after his dad Carl’s reign of terror. Some suggested Ella could be Anya King in disguise – although she does appear to be older than Tom.
Taking to social media to share their theories, one suggested: “I definitely think that there’s some kind of connection between Ella the Doctor’s receptionist and Tom King. I wonder could she really be Anya , his sister? They’re both targeting a member of the Dingle family in some way or other. It’s definitely a revenge plot.”
But somebody else posted: “People saying Ella is Tom King’s sister… well wouldn’t Jimmy recognise his own niece if it was? Before she joined I thought she was connected to Graham (Kim’s ex) but their surnames are slightly different as hers is Forster and his was Foster.”
Meena connection
Fans have their eye on Ella, and keep coming back to one theory – that she could be linked to Dales serial killer Meena Jutla, who is currently behind bars. Some fans are sure Ella and Meena were pictured together in her childhood photo, while others suggested they might have met up in prison and are cooking up a revenge scheme together.
Ella has freaked out at the mention of Meena while becoming closer with Liam, the dad of one of her victims. Now one fan has suggested: “So I have this theory that Ella has some link to psycho Queen Meena. A deranged fan perhaps, after she met her in prison, and now the Docs receptionist is out to quietly wreck Manpreet, Liam and Dawn’s lives – she’s already got close to them. Look out Jacob!”
“Was Ella a prison nurse who treated Meena and befriended her? Why would she be so curious to know about the village residents?” another fan wondered. But it’s also been suggested Ella could know Nadine, Meena’s first victim – and that’s who she was pictured with.
One said: “My working theory about Ella is that she is connected to Nadine, the girl Meena killed. Think about it. She runs when she hears mention of Leanna or Meena, plus the photo last night of her childhood with another girl.”
Another said: “This Ella story in # Emmerdale is interesting I definitely think this is related to Meena. I think Ella could’ve been friends with Nadine maybe.”
Grooming ploy
One fan thinks Ella has nothing at all to do with Meena, but could instead be getting close to Liam for another concerning reason… to do with his ex-wife, groomer Maya Stepney.
Taking to X, one fan thinks she could be Maya’s sister after she groomed Jacob while dating his dad David. They wrote: “Is Ella not associated with Meena at all but is a whole closer to Liam because she’s Maya’s sister? Maya Stepney. Liam’s ex-wife,Leanna’s mom and Jacobs groomer. Cue the righteous indignation. Especially hypocrite Leyla.”
“Why do I think Ella is related to Maya?” another wondered.
Criminal past
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Other fans think Ella might not have any connections at all to existing village residents – but she could have a dark past all of her own. Some have suggested she’s in witness protection, or has been involved in a serious crime.
One Reddit user said: “Ella having never been in a relationship makes me think that she might have spent much of her adulthood in prison. This combined with the fact that she doesn’t speak to her family.” While another posted: “I definitely think she went to prison for a serious crime (e.g. manslaughter or murder) when she was young.
“Her body language so far when Leanna and where she lives are brought up plus the spoilers where she hasn’t been able to hold a steady job to afford her own place and being called ‘scum’ by some funeral goers are huge clues.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk