Who is Lauren Bolton’s mystery ex-boyfriend in Coronation Street? Seven theories about his true identity

FEARS grow for Lauren Bolton's safety after she opened the door of her home to a mystery, and potentially dangerous, ex-boyfriend.

Coronation Street fans have been desperate to find out who could be tormenting the teen and they've come up with their own theories.

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Lauren Bolton (portrayed by Cait Fitton) has gone missing from Weatherfield in recent scenes aired on ITV.

The wayward teen has been trying to start afresh in the cobbles after her time in Griff Reynolds' far-right gang.

While her reputation hasn't been the best, Lauren has managed to make a handful of friends in Corrie - and according to her, she'd even moved on from her ill-fated relationship with Max Turner.

Viewers grew increasingly suspicious when Lauren was seen all dolled up and treated to lavish gifts.

She then revealed she had a new man in her life who was giving her all the attention she wanted.

But their concern turned to horror when an underaged Lauren admitted she turned to sex work platform O-Vidz in a desperate bid to make ends meet.

Lauren later revealed that her new relationship had turned sour as she was accused of making him and grew tired of having to hide her other half's identity from her pals.

Unfortunately, the mystery man refused to take "no" for an answer she was soon fighting off calls from him.

Things went from bad to worse when she was then seen covered in nasty bruises.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun about the storyline, Cait revealed that her on-screen alter-ego is set for several months of hassle.

"With the whole boyfriend thing, I can't say too much but it is going to unfold over the next year potentially", she explained during the latest TV Choice Awards.

"It's a heavy storyline but Coronation Street always smash the hard-hitting stuff, so I'm really excited."

Despite her clear strong connection to Bobby Crawford (Jack Carroll), Lauren has let nothing slip about who her dangerous ex-boyfriend could be.

Here are our best guesses on his identity.

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1. Damon Hay

The criminal played by Ciarán Griffiths made an explosive return to the cobbles as the year began after a period of absence.

Viewers of the Manchester-based program will remember that Damon was forced to flee Weatherfield when his love rival Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) unleashed criminal Niall on him - and his life was in danger.

While he was gone and completely unaware, Sarah Barlow (Tina O'Brien) miscarried his child and separated from Adam as a result of their affair.

Damon found everything out once he was back in Corrie and made it clear he was ready to go head to head with Adam to teach him a lesson.

However, since Lauren's devastating storyline started, some viewers of the long-running show have been adamant that Damon could be the teen's troublesome ex-boyfriend.

"I wonder if Lauren’s boyfriend is Damon?", one viewer commented on social media.

"I hope Lauren’s new bf isn’t Damon", another echoed.

But viewers may be able to rule Damon out of the equation as Ciarán Griffiths spoke in detail about his character's true motives for coming back to Coronation Street.

"He’s definitely obsessed with trying to get Sarah back, he’s proper smitten, he’s clearly been thinking about her every day for the last few months and wants to scratch that itch", the soap star said.

"But the injustice of what Adam did to him is something he has to put right."

In recent scenes, Adam turned to Damon's half-brother Harvey Gaskell to make him pay for his love affair with Sarah.

But there's another member of the family fans believe could be involved in Lauren's storyline.

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2. Jacob Hay

Damon's son Jacob (played by Jack James Ryan) has not been seen in Corrie for more than a year - could his return be imminent?

Viewers will recall that Jacob was chased out of the Street by his own father in January, 2023, and he hasn't been seen or heard from since.

The lad was romantically involved with Amy Barlow during his two-year long stint in the cobbles but a new theory emerged on social media according to which he could have moved on with Lauren off-screen.

"I think Lauren’s boyfriend is Jacob. It would make sense for him to return now Harvey & Damon are back. It could also tie in with Simon’s exit", one fan commented online.

"What if Lauren is talking to Jacob?", another theorised while a third added: "I thought Jacob or Simon."

Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has had a history of falling for wayward characters as he once did with Kelly Neelan.

But could he also be indirectly involved in Lauren's potential relationship with Jacob Hay, years after being groomed by the latter?

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3. Nathan Curtis

Another, more sinister, theory has surfaced on social media and, if it ever turns out to be true, Lauren could be set for some deeply harrowing times.

The secrecy surrounding Lauren's ex-boyfriend has left fans convinced that he may be more dangerous than initially expected.

And after noticing similarities between Lauren and Bethany Platt's (Lucy Fallon) appearances, multiple viewers are convinced the teen could be Nathan Curtis' newest target.

"So what if the mystery bf turned out to be Nathan?", one viewer suggested.

"It’s been 5 years since he was sent down, and that’s an eternity in soap years, not to mention the justice system seems very fluid to be able to match whatever scenario needs to be made up for the viewers."

"Also Lauren just seems like the perfect profile of a person that Nathan would groom."

Nathan Curtis (Christopher Harper) was initially introduced as a shop manager who had taken Bethany Platt under his wing.

But he soon showed his true colours as they embarked on a romantic relationship and he proceeded to alienate her from her friends and family.

After letting his pal Neil Clifton sexually assault her, Nathan proposed to Bethany to keep her by his side but she slowly came to her senses.

The pair were getting ready to leave Weatherfield when Nathan became angry with Bethany for losing her passport.

Bethany soon turned to a couple of strangers and told them she was in trouble.

Nathan and Neil were both subsequently arrested, charged with rape and handed custodial sentences.

But could they be out of prison?

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4. Rob Donovan

Marc Baylis' character has not been seen in Coronation Street since 2017, after he tried to escape from prison.

The murderer was sentenced to life in prison for the 2014 murder of Tina McIntyre.

He has been in Humberside since his failed attempt to go on the run.

The half-brother of Carla Connor was recently mentioned as his estranged son Bobby Crawford found out he had killed Tina in cold blood and not in self-defence, like the lad had previously been made to believe.

But could it really be a hint to a comeback for the killer?

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5. Tommy Orpington

The former football player played by Matt Milburn came back to the Corrie cobbles as residents were gearing up for their Christmas celebrations.

Upon his return, he bumped into Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) who gave him a job at No.1, much to her husband Steve McDonald's (Simon Gregson) amazement.

Tracy and Tommy then began a shock affair while Steve has been trying to reignite the spark in his marriage.

However, another theory is suggesting that Tommy could also be cavorting with teen Lauren, in a devastating twist.

"I think Lauren’s secret boyfriend is Tommy O! The massive bunch of flowers gave it away last night!", one fan theorised.

"He’s forever in the flower shop and when he came back into the show at Christmas he went to the flower shop! I’m convinced it’s him!"

Meanwhile, one newcomer is suspected of harbouring multiple secrets all at once.

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6. Joel Deering

Former Hollyoaks star Calum Lill rocked up the cobbles last year as the duty solicitor.

Since his debut, his character Joel Deering has grown closer than ever to fellow solicitor Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown).

Unfortunately, a cloud has hovered over the new romance as Joel revealed he was keeping a secret and, more particularly, a wife and child.

Dee-Dee was devastated but some viewers believe she's set for more heartbreak.

According to another theory, Joel could be two-timing Dee-Dee with Lauren, whom he once helped as her solicitor.

"I was thinking that it will be Dee-Dee’s boyfriend", one soap fan wrote.

Is Joel keeping a second secret?

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7. A complete stranger

While soap bosses have a tendency to introduce new characters right from the get-go, some fans of the long-running program are theorising that Lauren's boyfriend could be an unknown man.

As mentioned above, the teen was caught by Ryan Connor (Ryan Prescott) on O-Vidz as she posted several inappropriate and explicit videos on the platform.

She was even seen skipping work in Roy Cropper's café to get all dolled up in her flat.

This has prompted some fans to believe she may have met her ex-boyfriend on O-Vidz and taken the relationship to real life.

"I think it’s because she has been meeting clients from her online only fans type page", a fan penned.

Could Lauren be dating one of her clients?

Whatever the case may be, Roy Cropper actor David Neilson was seen filming in court alongside his co-stars Calum Lill, Mollie Gallagher and Alison King.

This could be a hint to trouble for the beloved star as his character was one of the last Weatherfield residents to see Lauren alive before she vanished into thin air.

Could he be a person of interest in her disappearance?

Coronation Street airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8pm on ITV.