EXCLUSIVE: Corrie’s Lauren Bolton star Cait Fitton sobs for 12 hours amid gruelling Joel storyline

Lauren Bolton was at the core of a shock storyline when she went missing after being abused by Joel Deering for months – but actress Cait Fitton has revealed she was left in tears by the plot behind the scenes.

The actress, 22, made her Coronation Street debut in late 2022 as wayward teen Lauren Bolton. Months after being involved in Max Turner’s far-right storyline, she was thrown in turmoil as her ITV alter-ego was abused by Joel Deering for months.

This notably forced her to flee Weatherfield before returning, pregnant with the duty solicitor’s child. Lauren eventually got revenge on her tormentor and killed him, throwing his body over a bridge and into a canal with her boyfriend Max’s help.

Many Corrie fans were engrossed in the storyline but, off-screen, the plot pushed Cait over the edge when she was filming a scene with Joel co-star Calum Lill.

“Things can feel like they’re moving quickly when you’re in the soap but that day itself was so slow,” she remembers. “And because it was so slow, it was hard. I was crying for 12 hours, it’s not a normal thing to do.”

Lauren star Cait Fitton admitted her abuse storyline with Joel Deering left her in tears

But for Cait, the result was worth the hassle. “The feeling of watching it on screen, it’s like ‘that’s why we do what we do,'” she says. “It makes you feel good. I was very proud to be a part of that storyline and I’m very grateful to everybody upstairs who has trusted me with it.”

The soap star has had more challenges to face off-screen, with the pressures of social media. Corrie fans are known for being vocal and their opinions can be brutal.

Cait admits the scrutiny wasn’t initially easy to handle. “I was keen to know what viewers thought about me. I was looking for their approval and, half the time, I didn’t get it,” she says. “But as time’s gone on now, I’ve got enough trust in myself to just go on set and try my best.”

Lauren is now still recovering from her harrowing abuse, with Joel Deering being remembered as a Weatherfield villain. Off-screen, however, Cait and Calum got on like a house on fire.

“We both really respect each other because it was also his first proper job,” Cait says. “He really got me through a lot.” The pair shared some of their most compelling moments on the show together, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats.

But they also went the extra mile to make their scenes together more believable. “We distanced from each other. He was on one side, I was on the other side of the building,” Cait recalls. “Every time we passed each other, we’d be in character because we wanted it to be real.”

Cait also credits her Roy and Max co-stars for guiding her through the storyline. “I learned the most from David Neilson, who plays Roy,” Cait says. “He’s such a wise person. He just makes you laugh on set. It’s the same with Paddy Bever, we have an amazing bond off-screen. This place is full of people with good advice!”

On-screen, Lauren’s future on the cobbles is now hanging by a thread after her boyfriend Max was revealed to have set No.8 ablaze in a desperate bid to cash in on the insurance to pay off Harvey Gaskell. The arsonist could be sabotaging his own relationship.

Speaking about Lauren’s perspective, Cait says: “There’s frustration more than anything. We had our happy ending and Max made a stupid decision without thinking of the consequences.”

“Max has done what felt right in the moment and not thought about the consequences,” Cait adds. “Now, he’s either going to prison or he’ll have to run away. He’s not going to have the life he’s always wanted to have with Lauren.”

In recent scenes of the Manchester-based drama, Max came clean to his stepmother Shona Platt (Julia Goulding) about the arson before sharing his plan to run away from the cobbles. What will it mean for Lauren and her baby Frankie?