Emmerdale Ella’s haunting secret revealed at explosive funeral as fans twig Joanne link
Emmerdale viewers finally got an insight into mysterious newcomer Ella Forster and her suspicious background as secrets were spilled at her friend's funeral by a grieving family
Emmerdale has finally shed some light on the secret of mysterious newcomer Ella Forster in Thursday’s episode (May 30).
The mysterious blonde bombshell made a dramatic entrance to the ITV village earlier this year when she threw a drink over her boss Jules, quit her job on the spot. Loyal fans will remember how she stood up for Mandy Dingle at the hugely popular vets social.
Since then, Ella has secured a job as a receptionist at the surgery and started a romance with co-worker Dr Liam Cavanagh. However, Ella’s behaviour has raised suspicions with viewers at home after dodging questions about her childhood.
In recent episodes, concern was sparked in the village after it was revealed she was sleeping in her car. When the hunky doctor insisted she move into his place, she snapped at close friend Mandy when she saw her looking at an old photo.
Adding to the mystery, Ella recently refused to be photographed at the village fete and immediately fled the scene. Last week, more hints were dropped about Ella’s secret when she visited a mysterious elderly woman named June Phillips, who suffers from dementia, at a care home.They looked through an old photo album together, stopping at a picture of June working with a group of girls at a cigarette factory, reports the Mirror. During this scene, Ella disclosed that she had been visiting for some time and they both expressed how fortunate they were to have each other.
A heartbreaking scene had an elderly woman forgetting herself once again, asking to see the photo album. Ella responded with: “Who cares, it’s our thing, we love it! ” In a poignant moment of foreshadowing, the old lady asked: “Were we once very sad about something? ”
This melancholic event lead to the shocking revelation that the old woman died overnight, and despite suspicions, it was revealed she is not actually related to Ella. In Thursday’s episode, Ella paid her respects at June’s funeral.
The newcomer made sure to keep her distance from June’s family and visited the gravesite before the family laid their flowers. The heartbroken Ella tearfully declared: “This is stupid, it’s just an empty hole you’re not even in there.
“I know you wouldn’t want me here but I had to, it wouldn’t have been right for me to go in there. I don’t want to hurt anyone, not again – even this is more than I deserve.
“I hope you find some peace now both of you… I am so sorry… for everything”. As a double grave came into view, watchers were left intrigued yet again. Adding to the confusion, Manpreet Sharma spotted Ella at the care home last week.
Mistaking the old woman for Ella’s mother, she decided to inform Liam that Ella was attending her mother’s funeral. But when Liam arrived at the funeral to support his girlfriend, she was nowhere to be seen.
As the episode drew to a close, other members of the funeral gathering questioned Liam about his identity and why he was present. A clueless Liam said that he came for June’s daughter Ella, baffling June’s family as they pointed out June’s daughter died years ago.
The situation intensified as the group suspected Liam was an intruder, until Ella appeared and attempted to prevent matters from escalating. This led to a heated confrontation between June’s enraged relatives and Ella.
They revealed that Ella is not her real name and aggressively exclaimed: “It should be you in that hole, not her! You’re scum, you’re a murderer, child killer!”
In response to this, the camera focused on the tombstone next to June’s, which seemed to belong to her late daughter with the inscription reads: “Joanne Phillips, 3rd March 1994 to 22nd August 2005”. After the episode, engaged viewers took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their theories about what had transpired and Joanne’s identity.
One individual posted: “Ah – Ella killed June’s daughter or was responsible for her death so when June became ill with dementia she took her daughter’s place #Emmerdale”. Another user suggested: “Ella’s got some explaining to do to Liam.
“Child killer… did Ella kill June’s daughter and if she went to prison for it, then maybe she became friends with Meena who would no doubt manipulate the hell out of her. Has Ella arrived to perform Meena’s dirty deeds? #Emmerdale.”
Elsewhere, a disappointed fan wrote: “Ella pretending to be the daughter she killed #Emmerdale! “. A separate account added, incredulously: “Ella or whatever her actual name is killed June’s daughter? #Emmerdale”.
Another viewer put forward a theory, tweeting: “I don’t think it’s a case of Ella being a murderer, I think she was babysitting or friends with Joanne and something happened and the family are blaming her when she wasn’t at fault, that’s why she changed her name #emmerdale.”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV1 or catch up on ITVX.