The teen was presumed dead after she suddenly disappeared from Weatherfield back in February

Coronation Street fans don’t seem to believe Lauren Bolton’s pregnancy after her shock return. The teen was presumed dead after she suddenly disappeared from Weatherfield back in February.

Lauren went missing after being sacked from her job at Roys Rolls and later being visited by a mystery person, who viewers never got to see. However, the ITV soap revealed in May, three months after Lauren was last seen alive, that it was Joel Deering who was behind her disappearance – not Roy Cropper as DS Lisa Swain decided when she charged him with Lauren’s murder.

It unfolded after Joel was seen making a swift exit from Roy’s homecoming, after he was finally released from prison. He was met by Hope Stape who handed him a necklace that she found in his car when cleaning it, which viewers recognised belonged to Lauren.

Then, a flashback clip revealed him to be Lauren’s secret ‘boyfriend’ and saw him brutally attack her with a chair leg. It wasn’t until this week that Lauren was confirmed to have survived the brutal bashing and was seen at Roy’s bedside after he suffered a heart attack.

However, as she tried to make an exit from the hospital undetected, she was grabbed by Joel who covered her mouth to cover her screams and dragged her into a family room where the truth about what happened between the pair before the shock attack was uncovered.

In flashback scenes scattered throughout their intense confrontation, it was revealed that Joel first met Lauren at the police station when he was the duty solicitor. He said he’d be her ‘knight in shining armour’ and it wasn’t long before he was supplying her with cash to help pay her bills.

But in dark scenes, it was revealed that their relationship turned sexual, with Joel expecting to sleep with Lauren in return for his cash and other gifts. On the day she vanished, Joel lashed out violently at Lauren following a mention of his current fiancée, Dee-Dee Bailey.

As their confrontation continued in the hospital, Joel appeared to go to hurt Lauren once again but she cowered and clutched her stomach, with her attacker then spotting her baby bump, confirming she is pregnant with his child.

But it seems Corrie fans aren’t entirely convinced about the pregnancy and suspect a paternity twist could be on the cards. One said: “Omg she’s pregnant with Joel’s baby or is she or she just playing him #corrie.” Another commented: “Omg she’s pregnant with Joel’s baby or is she or she just playing him.”

A third shared: “I’m not sure if I’m convinced that Joel is Lauren‘s baby daddy?? Who else has she been with? @itvcorrie #Corrie.” A fourth added: “The baby could be bobbys #corrie.” Meanwhile, another fan spotted a clue as to what’s to come, saying: “A book called “unfinished business” just casually on the shelf behind Joel. Is that a clue as to what is gonna happen #corrie.”