Lauren Bolton’s (Cait Fitton) return to Coronation Street has been a tough watch,

with the true extent of what she suffered having finally been revealed.

However, there are more dark scenes ahead for her and Joel Deering, as actor Calum Lill has revealed.

Lauren went missing earlier this year, and her case quickly became a murder inquiry, with poor Roy Cropper (David Neilson) being the prime suspect.

In a shocking turn of events, it was later revealed that solicitor Joel was the actual culprit – though an even bigger twist would later confirm that she was actually still alive.

Earlier this week, viewers learnt that Lauren was still alive, with a series of flashbacks detailing exactly what had happened in the lead up to her disappearance.

It was revealed that Joel had been grooming her, and coercing her into having sex with him.

When Lauren mentioned his fiancé, Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown), Joel flew into a rage and beat Lauren, leaving her for dead.

She recently returned to Weatherfield to apologise to Roy, but she couldn’t get away without being caught by Joel. As they discussed what had happened between them, Lauren revealed that she was pregnant with his baby.

Thankfully, she managed to escape him – which could spell serious trouble for Joel in upcoming scenes, when Dee-Dee and Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) catch wind of her reappearance and attempt to track her down.

‘The state that Lauren’s in now, if Dee-Dee grabs her first and she tells her everything, his life just crumbles,’ Calum explained. ‘Even if it’s just the fact that the baby’s his, everything’s gone.

‘The stakes are bigger than they’ve ever been. I think “Desperate times, desperate measures” is what comes to mind.

‘I think he’s going to do whatever it takes to get to her first. I think whatever he does next is probably going to be a tough watch.’