Emmerdale – who did Ella Forster kill?
Our guide to the ITV soap's big new story.
Emmerdale spoilers follow from recent episodes of the ITV soap.
This article includes storyline details which some readers may find upsetting.
Emmerdale aired one of its darkest storyline twists last week as Ella Forster confided in Liam Cavanagh and Cain Dingle about a terrible crime from her past.
The ITV soap has revealed that Ella is a child killer, as she took the life of an 11-year-old girl when she was the same age herself.
Ella’s distressing revelations ended months of speculation over her big secret, but if you missed the big episodes or just need a quick refresher, here’s our recap of the key information so far.
Who did Emmerdale’s Ella Forster kill?
The child that Ella killed was 11-year-old Joanne Phillips. Her gravestone was seen in last Thursday’s episode, revealing that she was born in March 1994 and tragically died in August 2005.
The incident took place on the day of Ella’s 11th birthday, making the two girls the same age at the time.
In Friday’s episode, Ella opened up to her boyfriend Liam Cavanagh about being responsible for Joanne’s death and how she’d served a long prison sentence as a punishment.
Liam was too angry over Ella’s betrayal to hear the full details, so she subsequently confided in Cain Dingle. This gave Ella a chance to share her traumatic backstory and provide some wider context.
Ella grew up with a neglectful father, who was a drug addict and dealer. From the age of 3 or 4, she was expected to sit by the door of their home and act as a lookout in case the police arrived while her dad was up to no good.
Ella and her brother also took on responsibility for taking dodgy messages, delivering drugs, and other grim tasks that she preferred not to talk about. The siblings’ mum was out of the picture, so Ella never knew her.
Meanwhile, Joanne was a girl who was in Ella’s class at school. Although nobody was ever prepared to play with Ella, she had a chance conversation with Joanne on the day before the summer holidays in 2005. Joanne confided in Ella about some friends she’d fallen out with.
Joanne’s mum June picked her up from school and took pity on Ella, inviting her around for tea. This was the start of a strong bond which formed between Ella and June.
Ella recalled: “June got me. I had no love, or attention, or respect. Every other adult… it was like I was a rat. There was always music playing in the house, she brushed my hair and she talked to me about girls from the factory where she used to work.
“I couldn’t stay at night because I had to stay at home guarding the front door. But for most of the summer, from morning till night, I was there.”
Joanne accepted Ella’s presence and was “lovely” towards her over the course of the summer. However, on the day of Ella’s 11th birthday, she visited a local park with Joanne and they crossed paths with Joanne’s former friends.
Although she felt guilty, Joanne told Ella to start keeping her distance as the other girls wouldn’t reconcile with her otherwise.
Ella was horrified at the thought of losing June from her life, so she flew into a rage and relentlessly attacked Joanne.
Ella said: “I was on top of her and I was banging and banging her head on the ground. We were both crying but then she just stopped and it was over.”
After the shocking incident, Ella returned home and waited for the police to arrive.
Why was Ella visiting June?
Ella (then known as Ruth) went on to serve a long sentence for her crime, initially in a facility for young offenders and later in an adult prison.
In her conversation with Liam, Ella confirmed that she’d been released six years ago after various experts deemed her to no longer be a threat to the public. She was given a new identity to help her start a new life.
Ella revealed that her secret had been repeatedly revealed on various occasions over the past six years, which led to her being forced out of other communities. She’d received petrol-soaked rags through the letterbox from some vigilantes, while others had physically forced her out of town.
In 2023, Ella saw a newspaper article about children singing carols in an old people’s home. She recognised June as one of the residents and decided to pay her a visit.
June was living with dementia, so didn’t realise who Ella was. On some occasions, she became confused and thought that Ella was Joanne – an assumption that Ella never corrected.
Liam was disturbed to hear this, accusing Ella of “creeping” her way back into June’s life and taking advantage of her. Ella argued otherwise, claiming that her presence brought comfort to June as none of her family ever visited.
June died last month and Ella’s decision to attend her funeral – watching privately from afar – led to Liam discovering her secret.
Why is Liam so upset with Ella?
Liam feels badly betrayed by Ella’s secrecy, as he’d previously confided in her about his teenage daughter Leanna being murdered by Meena Jutla in 2021.
The grieving doctor believes that Ella should have been honest about her identity from the start, rather than letting him unknowingly develop feelings for a killer.
Jonny McPherson, who plays Liam, recently told us: “Liam is absolutely devastated.
“I think it’s multifaceted in that he had trusted Ella, he had taken her in when she was homeless but the main thing is the fact she did what she did – as it relates so much to his daughter having been murdered all those years ago. So it is a double betrayal.”
He added: “On multiple occasions Ella could have told him the truth. She had so many chances to open up and tell him about her past but she didn’t. And just the fact she moved into his house and they were actually cohabiting.
“He was living at such a close proximity to someone who had killed somebody’s daughter. So many layers of lies. He feels utterly betrayed and very upset.”
