ITV Coronation Street fans ‘prove’ Joel is Lauren’s mystery ex-boyfriend with flower clue

Coronation Street fans think they’ve solved the real identity of missing Lauren Bolton’s ex-boyfriend.

The teen appears to be missing with fans fearing she has been kidnapped by her mystery ex, after weeks of torment. While the boyfriend’s identity has not been revealed, we know they have been violent towards Lauren.

What started off as them giving her money and expensive gifts, and seemingly taking her on lavish dates, quickly turned into a nightmare for the teenager. She has been shown ignoring calls and constant messages, while telling the man to leave her alone as the gifts continued.

In a recent episode they even paid her a visit before bruises were shown on her body, and just days later Lauren vanished. Amid fans believing she has been taken, some viewers believe a clue in a recent episode could expose Joel Deering is the mystery ex.

The character is having his own problems at the moment after his double life was exposed. Dee-Dee Bailey was heartbroken when her lover was revealed to have a secret wife and child.

Joel was forced to confess the truth after weeks of suspicious behaviour, with evidence suggesting he was playing away. But after meet-ups with a mystery woman named Emily, Joel finally told Dee-Dee the truth on Wednesday.

Emily is his wife, while the pair are said to be estranged and planning to divorce. He claimed they split 18 months ago, and that his little girl was a year old.

He told Dee-Dee things were not working out for him and his wife prior to their split, but when she fell pregnant they tried again. Dee-Dee was unsure she could forgive him, while Joel claimed he had no more secrets to share.

But fans are not so sure, and they believe he could be Lauren’s mystery ex who has been tormenting and hurting her. A scene in a recent episode saw Lauren receive an expensive looking bouquet of flowers.

Some viewers believed the very same arrangement of flowers were also given to Dee-Dee in the same week. Noticing this, some fans questioned if this was a major hint that Joel was Lauren’s mystery man.

A viewer theorised online: “Maybe completely wrong but did you notice Dee Dee and Lauren received same bouquet of flowers making me wonder if the guy seeing Dee Dee is the same guy abusing Lauren.” Other fans agreed with this idea after noticing the same thing.

Viewers will have to wait and see to find out who the ex is, and what has happened to Lauren. Spoilers for next week reveal that she remains missing, sparking concern with her close friends. But where is Lauren and has something happened to her?

Viewers certainly believed so, questioning whether she had been kidnapped and was being held hostage by her mystery ex. Taking to X, one fan posted: “Damn. The bloke assaulting Lauren kidnapped her?”

Another said: “I think someone has abducted Lauren,” as a third wrote: “Reckon Lauren’s dodgy mystery man has taken her.” A fourth viewer tweeted: “Has Lauren been kidnapped by the boyfriend ??” as a fifth said: “WHERE IS LAUREN?! DID HER EX KIDNAP HER?! IS SHE OKAY?”