List of Minor Emmerdale Characters (1998) - Stella Jones

Stella Jones, played by Stephanie Schonfield, made her first screen appearance in December 1998. Schonfield revealed she was thrilled to land the role of Stella and said the cast were very welcoming towards her. Stella made a mysterious arrival in the village of Emmerdale. She purchased Home Farm and residents believed she was a wealthy widow. However, Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles) realised Stella reminded her of her old hairdresser from Leeds and after "one glass of champagne too many", Stella revealed that she was a hairdresser who had won the National Lottery. Of why Stella kept her past a secret, Schonfield said "She came to Emmerdale to be somewhere where nobody would know her. Previous experiences have taught her people can get a bit funny about her being a Lottery winner and treat her differently as a result. She's really keen to make sure that doesn't happen this time." In July 1999, Steven Murphy of Inside Soap reported Schonfield would depart Emmerdale the following month. He said Stella would leave in "a blaze of glory." Of her exit, Schonfield said "I've had a ball. Stella is having an exciting departure."

During a feature on the "wild women" of Emmerdale, a writer for the Daily Mirror said Stella "went behind the back of "best mate" Bernice by enjoying steamy romps with Gavin in a Jacuzzi, in the bushes and in her four-poster bed. Stella's charms were much in demand in the village, thanks mainly to her Lottery win. The hairdresser who tried to reinvent herself as the lady of the manor fended off the attentions of money-grabbing Eric Pollard and the more honourable intentions of Alan Turner. She has just fled the Dales giving Bernice a parting gift of the deposit to buy the pub. It's enough to make your hair curl."