Emmerdale’s Paula Lane has been reflecting on how much her life has changed since leaving the ITV soap.

The actress, who also played Kylie Platt in Coronation Street, joined the cast of the Yorkshire based show in 2024 as Ella Forster.

The character was initially introduced to us when Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) and Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) attended a vet gala. Ella stood up to her horrible boss that evening, and Mandy immediately knew they needed to be friends.

When Ella arrived in the village, she started a job as the receptionist at the local surgery. It then became apparent she liked Doctor Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson). They started seeing each other, but Liam’s feelings for Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) lingered throughout their relationship journey, which ultimately resulted in it ending.

During the period Liam was seeing Ella though, we also discovered quite a huge secret about her past. It was confirmed that Ella had murdered her best friend when they were children, and she had spent her entire adult life moving from place to place whenever the community discovered the truth about her.

Ella left the Dales in 2025 as a result of being framed by John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth). It was a pretty underwhelming exit for Emmerdale fans, as they had grown to really like Ella, and felt she deserved an exit better than leaving in the back of a police car.

They say as one door closes, another opens, and this couldn’t be more true for Paula Lane. After leaving her role as Ella last year, Paula’s life has changed a great deal.

Taking to Instagram, the star recently reflected on what she’s been up to since departing Emmerdale.

Sharing a picture of her behind the scenes at the soap, Paula wrote: ‘A whole year has passed since leaving Emmerdale…so much has happened in that time!

‘Got a maths qualification – some people thought I was mad but I went and did it anyway! Still studying [Spanish]. Continue to watch my business grow and thrive. Had a baby (a true blessing from above). Got the writing bug.’

She concluded: ‘This is a reminder that you can change direction, try new things and live your life!

‘I’m so excited for spring and for what the rest of the year will bring…’.