Coronation Street viewers believe they’ve worked out who will adopt Lauren Bolton’s baby son, Frankie.
Fans know that the young mother, played by Cait Fitton, gave birth in August after being drugged by her evil solicitor Joel Deering (Calum Lill) in a murder attempt. Viewers will remember that Joel was the villain behind the grooming and abuse of several girls, including Lauren, who fled for months after he left her to die.
Little Frankie survived and Joel’s horrific crimes were eventually brought to light. However, his character was killed off in September, sparking a major mystery on the ITV soap. Several residents of Weatherfield became suspects, including Joel’s ex Dee-Dee (Channique Sterling-Brown) and Carla Connor (Alison King).
But in a twist last week, it was revealed that Lauren was the one who dealt the final fatal blow, in an attempt to stop Joel from strangling Max (Paddy Turner). Max and Lauren covered their tracks and disposed of Joel’s body over a bridge into a river, staging it to appear as a suicide, reports Plymouth Live.
In a surprising turn of events, Max handed himself into the police to ensure Lauren and baby Frankie would never be separated, ‘false’ly confessing that he was the one who killed Joel in self-defence.
During Wednesday’s episode (November 20), Coronation Street viewers were left on the edge of their seats as Lauren was arrested following David Platt’s (played by Jack P Shephard) decision to hand over a letter Max wrote to Lauren, which outlined their scheme. In heart-wrenching scenes, Lauren was seen begging not to be taken from her baby son Frankie before being whisked off to the station.
Once in the interrogation room, Lauren initially stuck to her fabricated story but eventually crumbled and admitted she delivered the deadly blow. Police officer Kit (portrayed by Jacob Roberts) then dropped the bombshell that Lauren was likely to face a murder charge, shattering her with the prospect of being torn away from Frankie for good.
Now, Corrie fans are bracing themselves for a potential departure from the show, fearing Lauren’s confession spells jail time and an exit storyline. On social media platform X, one viewer speculated: “I think Cait Fitton might leave Corrie and Lauren gets sent down for Joel’s murder.”
Another fan lamented: “Cait Fitton is such a great actress, and I’d hate to see her leave.” Meanwhile, a third commented: “If she is done for murder she will be leaving.” Additionally, speculation is rife among the fanbase about who will take care of baby Frankie.
On a Coronation Street Facebook fan group, theories abound with one member suggesting: “Is Frankie being fostered/adopted.” This prompted a flurry of predictions that Shona (Julia Goulding) and David Platt could step in to adopt Frankie. One person asserted: “Shauna will have him she wants a baby.” Another added: “Think Shona and David will end up with Frankie.” While yet another said: “I think Shona will have him.”
Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX
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