ITV Coronation Street exit as fans 'work out' Joel Deering kills after being exposed

Coronation Street was a whirlwind of suspense on Monday as Dee-Dee Bailey (portrayed by Channique Sterling-Brown) edged closer to unmasking the dark secrets of her betrothed, Joel Deering (Calum Lill).

The plot thickened when it emerged that Joel had left Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) for dead, only for her to return to Weatherfield pregnant and become the target of Joel's sinister plot to end her pregnancy by drugging her. His plan backfired, leading to Lauren's premature labour and the baby's miraculous survival.

Dee-Dee's suspicions were aroused after uncovering inconsistencies about a necklace Joel claimed he purchased for Lauren. The latest episode saw Dee-Dee connecting the dots upon finding out the name of the jeweller from where the necklace was bought.

Tension escalated at the hospital as Dee-Dee learned Joel fathered Lauren's child and was present during the unexpected birth.

Unbeknownst to Lauren and Dee-Dee, Joel was eavesdropping on their entire conversation just outside the hospital room, reports the Manchester Evening News.

In a gripping scene, Dee-Dee confronted Lauren after she revealed her inability to seek help during labour, asking: "Knowing the power you would have over him for the rest of his life...Lauren, could Joel have given you something to make you go into labour?"

"What?" Lauren replied, clearly mortified as Dee-Dee shouted: "Could he have given you something?"

As Lauren pondered the possibility, she recalled Joel preparing her a meal that day and insisting on watching her eat it before his departure. Not long after, she found herself going into labour.

The plot thickened when Dee-Dee and Lauren arrived at the police station to report Joel, only to find him already there, confessing to officers that he had been intimate with Lauren "before she disappeared".

When pressed about his silence until now, Joel confessed: "Mate, I didn't want my fiance finding out."

The drama escalated towards the end of the episode as Joel was apprehended by DS Swain (Victoria Myers), but not without Kit Green's (Jacob Roberts) interference, who claimed Joel said Lauren had taken abortion pills.

Joel vehemently defended himself, asserting to a distraught Lauren: "She has been trying to take me down," while Lauren tearfully countered: "No, I haven't. I would never hurt my baby."

"You're a liar, you're a liar," she screamed in anguish, just before DS Swain regretfully informed her: "I am sorry to do this, but I am going to have to ask you a few more questions under caution."

After the hour-long episode concluded, fans were quick to hit the comments section with their predictions and theories about the unfolding storyline.

Speculations ran rampant, with some viewers convinced Joel might murder Dee-Dee, while others suspected Kit might assist Joel in evading any legal repercussions. One viewer speculated on X: "Joel is going to kill DeeDee... #corrie."

"Don't get yourself killed Dee Dee. We like you #Corrie," one viewer shared their concern, while another added urgency with, "#corrie Joel will murder somebody before he leaves the show."

A third spectator chimed in: "Oh, he's broken the sneer of death out, someone is gonna get it #Corrie."

However, perplexity sparked debate as one member of the audience confessed, "I'd forgotten that Kit falsified evidence. Why? He's an odd one," and another highlighted the darker side of a character stating, "Kit is a dirty cop. Of course, he believes Joel #Corrie."

Finally diving deeper into speculative territory, a commenter speculated on future alignments: "Kit is gonna be on his side cos otherwise he will be in trouble with planting evidence to get Nathan sent down #corrie."

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.