Coronation Street has been getting viewers talking about Lauren Bolton’s mystery boyfriend.
During the past few months, Lauren has claimed to have been dating a rich man who has bought her expensive presents. She never disclosed his identity, however, which led friends Max and Sabrina to suspect she'd made him up – not long after, she suddenly said they'd split up.
But viewers know there is, in fact, a mystery man in her life, through Lauren’s tense phone calls and secretive behaviour. The story took a darker turn last week when someone showed up at Lauren’s front door, to her surprise. New love interest Bobby later discovered horrific bruises on her shoulder, presumably caused by whoever came to her flat that evening.
The end of Friday’s episode saw Bobby, Max and Sabrina teaming up and sharing what they know to try to help Lauren – but viewers are doing their own detective work, with lots of names flying around as to who her boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend, might be. Here are the main theories so far:
1. Harvey Gaskell
Drug lord Harvey destroyed the lives of Leanne and Simon before killing young Sam’s mum Natasha in 2021. He went to prison for murder long before Lauren set foot on the cobbles, but he has proven to be dangerous and there is always suspicion over who he might have links to. Could he have met Lauren’s dad in prison?
Harvey is still behind bars, so it couldn’t have been him who came to Lauren’s flat, but his current scheming with Adam Barlow proves that he has lots of contacts on the outside who could do his dirty work for him. All of the communication that we’ve seen Lauren have with this person has been over the phone, so it is possible this is why no one has ever met him.
What to Read Next
Plus, Harvey is currently desperate for an appeal to overturn his conviction, so is there a particular reason he wants out of prison?
2. Nathan Curtis
Nathan was the leader of the gang that was involved in grooming teenager Bethany Platt back in 2017. Manipulated Bethany was unaware she was being abused, and referred to Nathan as her boyfriend yet kept the so-called relationship a secret. After a trial, he was found guilty of rape and was served with a custodial sentence, but as six years have now passed there is a slight chance he could have been released.
Bethany has been back in Weatherfield since the New Year, and the time she recently spent tutoring Lauren made some viewers realise the pair could have had similar experiences – just as Lauren received an expensive necklace from her alleged boyfriend, Nathan showered Bethany with lavish gifts to win her over.
Could history be repeating itself with Lauren subjected to the same ordeal as Bethany – and at the hands of the same person?
3. Rob Donovan
Speaking of returning characters, another popular theory is Carla Barlow’s half-brother Rob Donovan. This one feels quite unlikely, as Rob is currently serving a life sentence in prison for the murder of Tina McIntyre in 2014.
But being behind bars hasn’t stopped Rob from returning to the show in the past, with the character making several appearances between 2015 and 2017, including when he escaped from prison. So there’s every chance we will see Marc Baylis (who played him) on screen again at some point.
Plus, it does feel like there is an impetus to bring Rob back to the show in some way. The introduction of his long-lost son Bobby has meant that there has been a lot of chat about the popular villain on the cobbles lately. Bobby and Lauren are in the early stages of a romance, and it would be soap levels of irony if she was already involved with his dad somehow.
4. Joel Deering
Unlike some of the other options, Joel has a legitimate link to Lauren. The character made his first appearance in the show in September as a duty solicitor who helped her get off with a caution when she smashed up Audrey’s salon.
Since then, he has been a knight in shining armour for fellow solicitor DeeDee Bailey, with the pair beginning a relationship. But in recent weeks it has become clear that Joel is hiding something, and last week he was confronted by a mystery woman called Emily in the Bistro.
While Joel’s secret may well turn out to be something else, there are still small clues that could link him to Lauren. For example, the huge bunch of flowers that Lauren received from her mystery man looked very similar to the bunch that he gave Dee Dee a few days later. Could Joel have a dark side?
5. Tommy Orpington
He’s everyone’s favourite former footballer turned decorator, with an army of adoring fans on the Street, but we still know relatively little about Tommy Orpington. While he’s currently embarking on an affair with Tracy Barlow, he has alluded to having a rather messy personal life, and his past could be shadier than we realise.
The flowers could be relevant to Tommy, as well. We know he has been spending a lot of time at the florists, and his first appearance back on the show over Christmas saw him buying flowers for someone. Plus, his previous career means he presumably has the money to buy these expensive gifts that Lauren has been receiving.
This theory might be a long shot, as it appears that his attention is very much focused on Tracy at the moment and there isn’t much to link him to Lauren, but there could well be more to Tommy O than meets the eye.
6. Someone else...
Of course, Lauren’s boyfriend could well be someone else completely. As her dad was at the heart of Griff’s gang, there are any number of dangerous people that Lauren could have ended up involved with.
There are other theories being thrown into the mix too. Bobby suggested on Friday that Lauren's online content on site OVidz (similar to OnlyFans) might have turned into in-person sex work. Meanwhile, Max is still slightly suspicious of Daniel Osbourne, who is currently tutoring Lauren for her GCSE English exam.
Regardless, it feels certain that when Lauren’s boyfriend is eventually revealed, it will be a character that we already know – either a big return or an existing character that has a hidden dark side.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
