Emmerdale: Ella Forster kisses Liam in front of Chas
Emmerdale viewers are convinced newcomer Ella Forster (played by Paula Lane) is connected to convicted serial killer Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu) who was sent to prison in recent years for her vile crimes.
During Wednesday's instalment of the ITV soap, Ella plucked up the courage to ask Doctor Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) if he would like to get into a relationship with her.
Caught off-guard slightly, he accepted her proposal and she was thrilled they were finally an official couple.
However, when Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) caught wind of the news after seeing Ella plant a kiss on Liam's lips, she was left devastated as she had developed strong feelings for Liam.
Chas is battling breast cancer and the crushing romance blow is the last thing she needs, especially after Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) advised her to lay everything on the line in pursuit of Liam.
While Ella was walking around elated that she's in a romantic relationship with Liam, he felt he had committed to the wrong woman.
He opened up to his ex-wife about the situation and she encouraged him to tell Chas and Ella the truth. Liam called over Chas' home to tell her he had feelings for her, but she didn't want to hear any of it.
Chas sent him packing before Liam got to explain himself - but fans were left suspicious of Ella, with some linking her to evil Meena. Could the two women be old friends? Or did Ella meet Meena in prison?
Longtime fans will recall Meena was responsible for the death of Liam's daughter Leanna Cavanagh (Mimi Slinger) in 2021 by throwing her off a bridge. She also killed Andrea Tate (Anna Nightingale) and Ben Tucker (Simon Lennon) during her reign of terror.
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Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Matt penned: "Ella connected to Meena... should be a blast. #Emmerdale." (sic)
Calli added: "She's connected to Meena somehow I stg and I won't hear otherwise #emmerdale."
A third added: "Can people stop saying Ella is connected to Meena, she’s not coming back stop giving me false hope #emmerdale." (sic)
Another wrote: "Meena Jutla will always be the most iconic soap villain #Emmerdale."
Speaking to Express.co.uk at Christmas ahead of her first scenes on Emmerdale airing, actress Paula teased: "There might be some fireworks, there’s a little bit of competition, perhaps. Little love triangle going on."
Who will Liam end up in a relationship with on the ITV serial drama? Will Ella react badly when she finds out he has deeper feelings for Chas than her?
The actress insisted she isn't aware of any "family ties" to the village, but does her character Ella know Meena and have a link to her? Perhaps Ella has a sinister side too and could take revenge on Chas and Liam.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV and ITVX.
