Paula played Kylie Platt on Corrie
Former Coronation Street actress Paula Lane has joined the cast of Emmerdale, as she is set to make her on-screen debut on the soap in January.
37-year-old Paula played the role of Kylie Platt on Corrie from 2010 to 2016, with her character Kylie leaving the show in a dramatic exit storyline after being murdered by Clayton Hibbs.
Now, Paula is set to take on the role of Ella Forster in Emmerdale. Ella will find herself out of a job after sticking up for Mandy Dingle, who’s gone to a veterinary ball with her partner Paddy.
However, a chance encounter with Manpreet Sharma will lead to luck for Ella, so it won’t be long until she makes her mark on the village. Speaking about her excitement over joining the cast of Emmerdale, Paula said: “I’m so excited to be joining the cast of Emmerdale.
“Everyone has been so welcoming and I can’t wait to start a new chapter playing the role of Ella. I’ve already heard there are big plans for her and I can’t wait to see her navigate a new life in the village and hopefully make some friends!”
Producer Kate Brooks added: “Ella is a complex and multi-layered character who comes to the village and certainly makes an impact. Ostensibly she’s a good, moral character, but is there more to her than meets the eye?
“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome an actor of Paula’s calibre to the show and we can’t wait to have her light up our screens.”
Take a look at some of the actors who have switched soaps:
Gemma Atkinson
Before leaving the world of soap for radio, Gemma Atkinson played the role Lisa Hunter on Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks between 2001 and 2005.
The actress then joined Emmerdale in 2015, playing the character Carly Hope.
Gemma then made a return to Hollyoaks as Lisa Hunter in 2022.
David Neilson
You’ll recognise David Neilson as popular Coronation Street character Roy Cropper! But before David joined the Cobbles, the actor appeared on EastEnders in the early 1990s!
Sue Nicholls
Coronation Street legend Sue Nicholls (or Audrey Roberts as you may know her), has been on the ITV soap since 1979, but the actress also played a part on Crossroads between 1964–68.
Ross Kemp
Before playing the role of the infamous Grant Mitchell in EastEnders, hard-man Ross Kemp played Graham Lodsworth in Emmerdale for 22 episodes!
Ray Quinn
When Ray Quinn joined the cast of Hollyoaks in 2018, many thought it was his first acting role, with a lot of people only knowing him for his stint on The X Factor.
However, Ray was actually a child actor way before his singing career, playing the role of Anthony Murray in Brookside between 2000-2003.
Catherine Tyldesley
Back in 2010, Catherine Tyldesley played the role of Abi Peterson in Emmerdale. Her stint on the show didn’t last long, with the actress going on to land the role of Eva Price in Coronation Street, a role she played for seven years.
Jamie Lomas
Jamie Lomas was known as Hollyoaks bad boy Warren Fox on and off between 2006 and 2018. Between this role, Jamie joined the cast of EastEnders as Jake Stone… Before making a return to Hollyoaks again in 2019.
We can’t keep up!
Danniella Westbrook
Danniella Westbrook first found fame when she was cast as Samantha Mitchell in EastEnders in the 90s. Due to personal struggles and addictions, Danniella was axed from the role, before returning for four episodes in 2016.
The actress later joined the cast of Hollyoaks, playing Trudy Ryan in 2013… Until she was axed not long after.
Nikki Sanderson
Nikki Sanderson joined the cast of Coronation Street in 1999, playing the role of Candice Stowe for 397 episodes. In 2012, Nikki joined Hollyoaks, where she’s been known as Maxine Minniver for over 400 episodes.
Alex Fletcher
She’s known as Diane O’Connor in Hollyoaks right now, but before joining the soap in 2010, Alex actually appeared on Brookside between 1990 and 2003.
Michelle Collins
If you’re a fan of BBC soap EastEnders, you’ll remember Michelle Collins bursting onto the scene as Cindy Beale in 1988.
After her character was killed off in 1998, Michelle went on to join Coronation Street, playing the role of Stella Price for 447 episodes.
Chris Fountain
Before Chris Fountain released an offensive rap video online, he was best known as playing the role of Justin Burton in Hollyoaks.
Two years after leaving the Oaks, Justin landed a role on Coronation Street as Tommy Duckworth, but he was sacked in 2013 for ‘that’ video.
Adele Silva
You’ll probably recognise Adele for portraying the role of Kelly Windsor in Emmerdale between 1993-2000, but the actress later joined Hollyoaks as Angela Brown in 2015.
Gemma BIssex
Gemma Bissex has made a career out of playing the ‘villain’ character in soaps. After making her soap debut in 1993 as Clare Bates in EastEnders, Gemma went on to join the cast of Hollyoaks, playing the equally as evil character Clare Devine.
Adam Rickett
Adam’s Coronation Street character Nick Tilsley was adored by fans between 1997 to 1999, and again between 2002 to 2004.
After going on to try out a pop career, Adam returned to the world of soap in 2017, joining the cast of Hollyoaks as Kyle Kelly. However, in 2020 his character was killed off by bosses.
Claire King
Actress Claire King was loved by Emmerdale fans between 1989–1999, as she played the role of the infamous Kim Tate. Before making her return to the soap in 2018, Claire had a small role in Hollyoaks in 2005.
As if this wasn’t enough, Claire played the role of Erica Holroyd in Coronation Street from 2014 until 2017.
Anthony Quinlan
Before joining Emmerdale in 2013 as character Pete Barton, Anthony Quinlan was one of the most popular Hollyoaks character with fans, playing the role of Gilly Roach between 2005-2011.
Angela Griffin
Angela made her soap debut playing the role of Fiona Middleton in Coronation Street in 1992. The actress then joined Emmerdale as Tina in 1993, but she only lasted two episodes.
Gillian Taylforth
Popular actress Gillian Taylforth joined the cast of EastEnders way back in 1985 as Ian Beale’s mum Kathy Beale. However, Gillian’s character was killed off in a tragic car accident in 2006.
Gillian then joined Hollyoaks in 2013 playing mum-of-five Sandy Roscoe. But here is the confusing bit… EastEnders fans were left shocked to the core in 2015 when she made a return to the soap as Kathy Beale!
That’s the world of soaps for you!
Sherrie Hewson
Sherrie Hewson first started her soap career on Coronation Street way back in 1993, playing the role of Maureen Webster. The actress then joined Crossroads as Virginia Raven in 2001, before going on to Lesley Meredith in Emmerdale in 2004.
Gaynor Faye
Gaynor Faye has been lucky enough to land two major roles in two major soaps! Before joining the cast of Emmerdale as Megan Macey in 2012, Gaynor was best know for playing Judy Mallett in Coronation Street.
James Sutton
James Sutton appeared on and off in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks as John Paul McQueen for nearly 500 episodes, before he jumped ship and landed the role of Ryan Lamb in Emmerdale in 2009.
James still makes a number of appearances in Hollyoaks, with the McQueen family still very popular with fans.
Sheree Murphy
Not only did Sheree land roles in both Emmerdale (Tricia Dingle) and Hollyoaks (Eva Strong), the actress has also appeared in Australian soap Neighbours as Dakota Davies.
Lucy-Jo Hudson
Lucy-Jo’s character Katy Harris was very popular with Coronation Street fans between 2002-2005. However, her character was tragically killed of in a suicide storyline in 2005.
In 2018, Lucy-Jo returned to the world of soaps, joining the cast of Hollyoaks as Donna-Marie Quinn.
Chris Bisson
You’ll recognise Chris Bisson as Jai Sharma in Emmerdale, but the actor played the role of Vikram Desai in Coronation Street between 1999–2002.
Hayley Tamaddon
As well as playing the role of Del Dingle in Emmerdale, Hayley also starred in Coronation Street, portraying the character Andrea Beckett.
John Middleton
He’s best known for his role as vicar Ashley Thomas in Emmerdale (between 1996 to 2017), but actor John actually appeared in Coronation Street as John Hargreaves in 1993.
Kirsty-Leigh Porter
She’s played the role of Leela Lomax in Hollyoaks since 2013, but Kirsty-Leigh has also appeared in both Emmerdale and Coronation Street.
She played the role of Zoe Willson in Coronation Street and Roz Fielding in Emmerdale.
Katie McGlynn
Katie played the role of Sinead Tinker in Coronation Street for six years between 2013-2019, but after leaving the soap, the actress joined Hollyoaks in July 2021 as Becky.
Natalie Anderson
Natalie was best known for her role as Alicia Metcalfe in Emmerdale between 2010-2015.
After a six-year gap from the world of soaps, Natalie joined the cast of Hollyoaks in 2021, playing the role of Lexi.
Stephanie Davis
Stephanie Davis appeared as Sinead O’Connor between 2010-2015 in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, before returning in 2019 for another year.
After leaving the soap and taking some time out of showbiz, it was announced in May 2023 that Stephanie had landed a role in Coronation Street, as character Courtney Vance.
Paula Lane
Paula played the role of Kylie Platt on Corrie from 2010 to 2016, with her character Kylie leaving the show in a dramatic exit storyline after being murdered by Clayton Hibbs.
In November 2023, it was announced that Paula will be joining Emmerdale, taking on the role of Ella Forster.
Emmerdale airs weekday nights at 7.30pm on ITV/STV and ITVX.
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Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.