Coronation Street fans are speculating that Joel Deering may not be the real father of Dee-Dee Sterling's baby. The villainous solicitor, played by Calum Lill, was murdered in September, with viewers only recently discovering his killer.
In a shocking flashback episode, it was revealed that Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) was responsible for his death.
Viewers will remember that Joel had been abusing and grooming Lauren for months, even impregnating her. He attempted to murder both her and their unborn child before his heinous crimes were finally brought to light.
Joel was subsequently killed off, sparking a major mystery on the ITV soap.
However, in the episode aired on November 15, it was confirmed that Lauren delivered the final fatal blow. Alongside Max (Paddy Turner), Lauren concealed their actions and threw Joel over the edge to make it appear like suicide, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Nevertheless, Max later turned himself in to protect Lauren, confessing that he killed Joel in self-defence.
The episode also hinted at the possibility of Dee-Dee being pregnant. During a confrontation with Joel, he mentioned the time they had slept together - despite Dee-Dee's strong beliefs about abstaining from sex until after marriage.
At the time, Dee-Dee was seeking solace following a visit to friend Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) - who later succumbed to Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Monday's gripping episode of Coronation Street revealed that Dee-Dee was pregnant, sending shockwaves through Weatherfield.
While opening up to Tina O'Brien's character, Sarah Platt, about her worries of always being reminded of the child's father Joel, fans are cooking up a plot twist of their own.
Online sleuths have started to suspect that Joel might actually have an identical twin.
The whispers began after Dee-Dee unveiled her pregnancy scare, with theorising viewers flooding a Corrie Facebook fan group with speculation. One viewer speculated: "Oh no Dee-Dee, pregnant with Joel's baby!"
Yet, another fan boldly suggested: "What if Joel didn't sleep with Dee-Dee and it was actually his identical twin? That twin is now dead, while the real Joel is still alive..." Support for this theory grew as another chimed in: "Now this would be some twist."
This prompted someone else to declare confidently: "I can see this happening! I've said it all along Joel is not dead! ".
