Adele Silva: A longed-for baby, giving up acting and a potential return for Kelly Windsor

In this week’s Classic Emmerdale, things have been heating up between Kelly Windsor and Jimmy King, as the pair take to a hotel together following a run-in with bad vicar Ethan Blake.

In episodes which aired today (July 25), steamy scenes see Jimmy and Kelly share a steamy bubble bath together. Meanwhile, back in the village, she stirs the pot by gossiping with Edna Birch about a supposed affair between Ethan and Laurel Potts.

Played by actress Adele Silva, Kelly was one of Emmerdale’s most memorable residents, appearing on the soap from 1993 to 2007.

But what happened to Kelly Windsor… and could Adele ever return to the soap?

Who was Kelly Windsor?

Kelly first appeared in the village in 1993, along with her mother Viv, father Vic, stepbrother Scott and half-sister Donna.

During her time, Kelly became known for a series of high-profile and often controversial romantic attachments. This included a relationship with stepbrother Scott. The resulting affair led to the collapse of her marriage to Roy Glover and a subsequent mental health crisis which led her to try and take her own life.

Kelly left the soap for the first time in 2000, after attempting to seduce her mum’s new fiancé, one Bob Hope. Upon returning to Emmerdale in 2005, her behaviour remained much the same. She immediately seduced Scott again, and chased both Jimmy and Ethan too.

For a while, it looked as though Jimmy may be the one, but he jilted her at the altar after he learned that she’d both aborted his child (doing so to keep a lucrative modelling contract) and kissed Eli Dingle.

She left the soap again in 2007, briefly returning in 2011… with Jimmy’s son, Elliot, in tow.

Why did Adele Silva leave Emmerdale?

Speaking to The Sun at the time, Adele revealed how she left Emmerdale out of a fear of being typecast.

“I look quite young and everyone thought of me as being Kelly the schoolgirl. I struggled to get away from the little girl image. I’ve grown up a lot, though, and I’m looking forward to going back and showing the cast and crew that I’m now a sexy woman,” she told the tabloid about her 2000 exit.

She left again in 2007, taking what was initially supposed to be a 12-month break to focus on other projects. Her return was confirmed for 2008…. but it took her four years to return to the soap.

When she did, she did so as a part of Jimmy’s amnesia storyline. Once this was up, she left again, declining to return to the soap after the birth of her first child in 2014.

What else has Adele Silva been in?

During her time away from Emmerdale, Adele appeared on episodes of Lily Savage’s Blankety Blank, Celebrity Fear Factor and the third series of Hell’s Kitchen.

In 2008, she appeared in the comedy-horror film Doghouse alongside EastEnders star Danny Dyer, and, uh, Strippers vs Werewolves in 2011.

She went on to play Angela in Hollyoaks, briefly appearing in the Channel 4 soap opera across several episodes in July 2015.

Between acting work, Adele was spotted working at a clothing store in Los Angeles – pictured cleaning windows in a branch of Ted Baker.

“I was taking time out, travelling and living in New York and Los Angeles. I knew the manager and as I love clothes, I thought it would be a nice way to meet people because it’s hard to make friends in a place like LA. It can be isolating. I did a drama course for the same reason,” she said during a 2011 interview.

Adele is now a teacher at the National Film and Television School.

Former Emmerdale star Adele Silva – husband, family and children

Just 15 weeks before she joined Hollyoaks in 2015, Adele gave birth to her daughter Sienna.

She revealed during an interview with Lorraine at the time that she had suffered three miscarriages before having her longed-for child. Sienna is now nine.

Speaking to OK just after Sienna’s birth, Adele admitted: “I thought we’d never get here.”

Sienna’s dad is Adele’s long-term partner Oliver Farber. Prior to meeting Oliver, Adele was in a relationship with Blue singer Anthony Costa.

Will Kelly Windsor ever return to Emmerdale?

While Kelly hasn’t returned to the Dales since her 2011 exit, the door remains open for her return. Calls for her return include Mandy Dingle star Lisa Riley, who said to Inside Soap earlier this year: “I think she’s a great actress and there’s a lot of untold stories there.”

And Adele herself told The Sun in 2022 she’d be up for a return.

“I’d definitely go back if they asked me,” she said. “Obviously Kelly’s son is there and she’s not seen him for years.

“Then there’s little April. You can imagine Marlon’s face if her auntie Kelly turned up. He’d be horrified.”

And with her daughter, Sienna, being older now, Adele admitted it would be a good time to return.

Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.

Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.