Thursday night’s episode of Emmerdale had viewers on the edge of their seats as Ella Forster seemed to make her exit from the ITV soap.

Ella recently found herself in hot water after unintentionally crashing Chas Dingle and Liam Cavanagh’s engagement party at the pub, and when Chas collapsed due to being spiked, all fingers pointed at Ella, who vehemently denied any involvement.

The village drama escalated this week with Chas and Liam receiving a barrage of messages and calls from Ella, who has a past with ex Liam.

The plot took a dark turn when Belle Dingle discovered an email cancelling Liam and Chas’ wedding day, appearing to be another cruel prank from Ella’s alleged grudge.

Liam immediately contacted the police, but the mystery deepened when the pub’s window was broken. Both Liam and Chas were convinced that Ella was causing trouble, unaware that Ella was observing the entire situation…, reports Leeds Live.

On Thursday night, after taking Mandy Dingle hostage to get a chance to speak to Liam and clear her name, Ella fled with Liam close behind. The pursuit led to a tense confrontation in the woods where Ella pushed Liam, resulting in him falling and knocking himself unconscious.

Believing she’d accidentally killed him, Ella was overwhelmed with guilt over Liam’s motionless body, but luckily he regained consciousness.

The tension in Emmerdale heightened as the local GP insisted Ella couldn’t continue running from her issues, saying she needs help. In a pivotal moment of clarity, Ella acknowledged, ‘I can’t keep doing this,’ signalling her fatigue with constant avoidance.

In a dramatic twist, as the police took Ella into custody, she let out a shocking revelation about Chas’ drugging incident, insisting, “I know I’ve hurt you and Chas but I never drugged her, I swear, please believe me!”

The episode closed with Ella behind bars while Chas and Liam pondered over recent events. Meanwhile, with announcements that John Sugden’s true nature and the web of deception around him will be exposed next week, viewers are convinced he’s the culprit and that Ella may be exonerated, leaving the door open for her return.

Ella star Paula Lane took to Instagram to discuss her departure and teased fans about what lies ahead. In a video message, she conveyed: “Hey all you lovely Emmerdale fans!”.

“Today’s Valentine’s Day, and I’m actually about to go and finish shooting my final scene on Emmerdale as Ella. So by the time you watch this, it’s going to be around April.

“I just wanted to say, I have had a lovely time here. I’ve met some wonderful people and I will really cherish the experience. I just want to say thank you all for your support and your messages and yeah I hope you get to see me on some new dramas in the future or on stage or wherever. Wherever life now takes me on my career!

“But honestly, everything is all positive, there’s no negatives to spin on this. She is a brilliant character, and you know, never say never! Who knows? So yeah, lots of love from me, mwah! Over and out!”