EVER since Lauren Bolton disappeared, presumed dead, Coronation Street fans have been on the edge of their seats to know who the killer is.
After much-speculation the troubled teen’s murderer has finally been revealed.
Who was Lauren in Coronation Street?
Played by actress Cait Fittin, Lauren Bolton arrived on Coronation Street in 2022.
The troubled teen’s father Reece Bolton persuaded her to join Griff Reynolds’s far-right extremist group.
When Reece and his associates went to prison for trying to blow up a festival in Victoria Street, Lauren went to stay with her mother in Devon.
However, she later returned to Weatherfield and pursued Max Turner.
Lauren also went to work for Roy Cropper at his cafe, Roy’s Rolls.
What happened to Lauren in Coronation Street?
Lauren disappeared in February 2024 leaving signs of being brutally attacked and murdered.
The teen went missing after losing her job at Roy’s Rolls, prompting a police search.
However, when cops searched her flat they they found evidence of a struggle.
They also recovered a bloodied weapon that they suspected was used to hit her over the head, and they launched a murder inquiry.
Her former boss Roy Cropper was charged with her murder and jailed as Weatherfield police.
Detectives became convinced that the cafe owner was a secret sexual predator who paid Lauren for sex before murdering her in a rage.
It came after it was revealed how the teen had been struggling to make ends meet and had turned to making X-rated content on a porn site.
Who killed Lauren in Coronation Street?
On May 30, 2024, Corrie finally confirmed who killed Lauren Bolton.
The truth about what happened to the teenager emerged when Hope Dobbs reluctantly returned a gold necklace that she had found in solicitor Joel Deering’s car while cleaning it.
A flashback then revealed that Joel had brutally attacked Lauren in her flat and took the necklace Hope found from her.
Actor Calum Li, who plays the killer lawyer, spoke about the shock twist and how he’s struggled to keep the secret for a year.
When Joel sees these vulnerable young women probably from broken homes, with criminal records and no one looking out for them he is like a shark he hones in on them.”
Actor Calum Li
He said: “It was last May that I got sent the breakdown for Joel saying that he was a charming character who’s got a dark side.
“When I got the screen test they said, ‘Okay, this is what Joel is going to be doing’. I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, like this is a really terrible person. And I’ve got to hide in plain sight for a year.’”
The actor added: “I felt a huge weight of responsibility on my shoulders to do well and not give it away and not play some cliche, because the things Joel has done have happened to people in real life.
Callum also revealed how the extent of Joel’s killer ways would be shown in future and how he has more victims than just Lauren.
“He is very messed up, he sees women in two ways,” he said.
“He has these women he adores and puts on a pedestal like Dee-Dee and then there are the other women, the young girls that he sees as lesser in some way in his eyes and takes his hatred for women out on them.
“When he sees these vulnerable young women probably from broken homes, with criminal records and no one looking out for them he is like a shark he hones in on them, coercively controls them and emotionally manipulates them using his power and money.”
Coronation Street's shock exits 2024
Corrie has said goodbye to several cast members this year. Let's break down who's left the famous soap:
Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) has said farewell to Corrie to start a new life in Germany.
The youngster moved to live with her dad Dom Everett, who went back on the £10,000 bribe Eliza’s grandfather Stu had offered to keep him out of her life.
Paul Foreman will bow out of the soap this summer when he loses his fight with motor neurone disease (MND) in tragic scenes.
After being diagnosed last year, the fan favourite, portrayed by Peter Ash, was devastated to learn he only had months left to live.
Viewers know he is planning to take his own life to end his suffering.
Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) departed the cobbles after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime to study in America.
Though she struggled to decide with her stepdad Paul’s impending death from MND, she was convinced she had to live her life to the full.
Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has struggled with the sudden departure of his father Peter from the cobbles.
The Weatherfield legend left his family and loved ones behind on Boxing Day, 2023, when his wife Carla Connor encouraged him to travel around the world with a friend.
Simon’s been on a downward spiral ever since and his exit could end in tragedy.
Alya Nazir is set to leave the cobbles as actress Sair Khan prepares to go on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child.
It looks likely she’ll be heading to Dublin after securing a lucrative new job, leaving her colleague and fling Adam Barlow behind.
Show stalwart Eileen Grimshaw is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour.
She’s had to leave the Street immediately after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.