| Character Profile | List of appearances |
Ella Richardson was the daughter of Mandy Richardson, the half-sister of Joel Dexter, Grace Hutchinson, Sebastian Blake, Sophie Blake and Darren Osborne Jr., and the ex-girlfriend of Charlie Dean. Until March 2023, Ella believed that her biological father was a man named Mark, with a DNA test later revealing it was actually Warren Fox. In January 2024, Ella was accidentally run over by an oblivious Ste Hay during a car pile-up at a roundabout.
Biography[]
2007-2016: Birth and Upbringing[]
Ella was born in August 2007 to her mother Mandy Richardson and father Mark, with Mandy sending ex-husband Tony Hutchinson a letter to inform him of her birth. In June 2008, Mandy brought Ella to Hollyoaks for her step-brother Max Cunningham's wedding to Steph Dean. Post wedding, Max was fatally struck by a car driven by an intoxicated Niall Rafferty. Mandy and Ella stayed for the funeral. Mandy and Ella left Hollyoaks in December 2008 after Mandy engaged in an affair with Warren Fox which was discovered by his fiancée Louise Summers. By October 2010, Ella had returned to her supposed father Mark.
2017-2019: Return[]
By 2017, Mandy had taken Ella as she left Mark again, reuniting with ex-boyfriend Luke Morgan. Luke, however, was an alcoholic and Ella was taken into care by social services shortly after the trio had made a permanent return to Hollyoaks. Mandy struggled without Ella and kidnapped her from her foster home, but later returned her. Ella returned to Mandy's care in January 2018.
Mandy and Luke later separated after her affair with Darren Osborne was leaked. Mandy then began a relationship with Darren and the pair (with Ella) moved into 7 Rowing Club Apartments. Ella befriended Charlie Dean, who Darren had become close to through his marriage with Charlie's guardian Nancy Osborne. In October 2019, Ella and Charlie snuck onto the construction site for The Cunningham Grande Bazaar and into the underground tunnels. The pair were trapped when the tunnels caved in, but managed to escape.
2020-2022: Drug Dealing and Relationship with Charlie[]
In October 2020, Ella discovered that Charlie was dealing drugs for Jordan Price, as part of Victor Brothers's gang. Ella was also forced to deal drugs after being blackmailed into doing so by Juliet Nightingale. In December 2020, Victor attempted to force Ella to smuggle drugs inside of her body, but Ella refused to do so. As she and Charlie attempted to hide from the dealers in The Hutch, Jordan found the pair under the table and a fight broke out. Ella fatally stabbed Jordan in Charlie's defence.
Charlie told the police that he had stabbed Jordan, with Mandy convincing Ella to go along with the lie until Nancy discovered a letter from Charlie in Ella's possession that proved that he was innocent. Charlie was subsequently released and Ella was arrested and charged without bail. Ella returned to the village in August 2021, having been charged with manslaughter and receiving a youth rehabilitation order.
Ella's relationship with Mandy became strained, and she moved into 17 Basswood Road with Charlie, Nancy and Darren. Bonding over their experiences in prison, Charlie and Ella began a relationship which soon became sexual. Ella later confessed to Mandy that she thought that she may be pregnant, so Mandy had Ella take a pregnancy test: it gave a negative result. After Darren's disappearance, Ella did indeed become pregnant and surprised Charlie with her positive test in a Christmas cracker on Christmas Day.
Ella was sad to discover she'd miscarried and Charlie got angry and blamed her for it, causing the couple to split up. Ella would originally be targeted by Charlie, who defaced Ella's memorial tree which was planted for the baby she had miscarried. After finding this out, Ella was heartbroken at Charlie's betrayal and the two fell out.
As of December 2022, the couple had reconciled and restarted their relationship. However, Charlie would prove to be disloyal as Ella caught him kissing newcomer Shing Lin Leong, and Ella would end things again.
2023-: The Truth About Biological Father[]
In April 2023, Ella would support Charlie having seen Charlie upset at the news of his biological father, Justin Burton had died in a car crash back in October 2022. Ella then decided to contact her own father, Mark, only to receive a call from Mark telling her that her mother had lied about him being her father and he just went along with it. Ella is then left stunned as Mark ended the phone call.
Ella began to focus on tracking her real father down along with Charlie and she immediately begins to think, Tony is her father and attempts to make conversation with school teacher, Beau Ramsey who was recently revealed to be Tony's estranged son, Ella at first was nervous however to approach Beau but she eventually told Beau that they could be brother and sister. Tony would find out but to Ella's surprise, Tony revealed that Mandy and he had split up after their daughter and Ella's half sister, Grace died. Tony told Ella the dates don't match up after a letter sent by Mandy in August 2007 which revealed she had just been born meaning Mandy would've fell pregnant in either October or November 2006. Ella was then told by Tony Mandy departed in June of that year after their split, Ella is left confused but left surprised when Tony mentions some possibilities from his own brother, Dom and local gangster, Warren Fox.
Some weeks pass after Ella's conversation with Tony and Ella begins to turn her attention towards Warren telling her friends, Charlie Leah, Mason and Shing Lin that Warren might be her father when the hang around The Dog carpark before being told to move by Warren. Ella begins sleeping with Charlie when she feels upset, Ella also has a dress dropped off by an unknown person but she assumes its Charlie. Leah later makes Ella ask Warren to but booze for their prom, but Ella is double crossed by Warren, who finds the funny side in buying none alcoholic booze for Ella, Ella later turns to the real booze after Charlie chooses Shing Lin over her, Ella also discovers Shing Lin was the one who brought her the dress and not Charlie, after fleeing she drunkenly bumps into Warren who is closing up his garage, Ella collapses and is helped by Warren who calls an ambulance. Ella is taking into hospital under the care of Sharon Bailey who is confused where Cindy is, Ella then reveals that Cindy is in Blackpool. After Warren buys her some magazines and gives her advice she tells Leah she's certain Warren is her father which is over heard by Leah's father, Ste, who supports Ella.
Kill Count[]
Murders[]
- Jordan Price, 31st December 2020 (defence) - Stabbed with a knife in defence of Charlie Dean, during a struggle between Jordan and Charlie.
Attempted Murders[]
None
Appendices[]
Residences[]
Employment history[]
Background Information[]
Introduction Sequence[]
- 2019-2020: Ella attends a party inside The Hutch with Charlie, Oscar, Jack, Nancy, Kyle, Luke, Mandy and Darren.
- 2020-2022: Ella attends a party inside The Hutch with Charlie, Oscar, Jack, Nancy, Luke, Mandy and Darren.
- 2022-2023: Ella walks past Cindy Cunningham to Burger, She Wrote.
- 2023-2024: Ella and Cindy Cunningham stand back-to-back in front of Soapie's World. Ella appears again later: standing at the bus stop with her friends.
Quotes[]
| “ | Charlie, just go away. | ” |
— Final line, to Charlie Dean.
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