Emmerdale star quits soap as exit date is revealed

Emmerdale actor Paula Lane is set to leave the role of Ella Forster in the coming months.

The actor's Spotlight page has been updated to note that she's filming until February 2025, meaning we should expect to see her last scenes in the Spring. Lane made her first appearance as Ella early this year.

In recent scenes, Ella worried that she would have to leave the village due to lack of money, but Manpreet came up with a plan for them to move in together.

ITV

That news came as a spanner in the works for her ex Dr Liam Cavanagh, who was secretly having a relationship with Chas Dingle.

Of course, the secret didn't last, as Ella found out about it and was absolutely devastated.

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While Ella's latest storyline has revolved around Dr Liam, her biggest was the revelation that she was responsible for her friend's death when she was younger, and how she has struggled to fit back into society years down the line.

Of course, Lane is no stranger to soaps, having previously played Kylie Platt on Coronation Street between 2010 and 2016.

But in an interview from back in March, she revealed that she actually auditioned for three separate Emmerdale characters before playing Ella.

ITV

"When I was just starting out, my very first audition was for the part of Gennie Dingle, so it's come full circle," she said.

"I was still at drama school at the time – I hadn't even finished my training – and I wrote a letter to them, including a picture... I auditioned to play Gennie and, unfortunately, I didn't get the part, but then later I went up for a few more roles.

Lane added that she screen-tested to play Holly Barton "and got down to the last four" for the role, and also auditioned to play a lawyer on the show.

However, she added that after starting work on the soap, she felt Ella was "just the right fit" for her.

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.