Hiding in car boots and on taxi floors - Coronation Street ’s Cait Fitton went to great lengths to keep her huge soap return a secret.
Tonight the actress was back on our screens as viewers finally discovered what had happened to missing Lauren Bolton.
Returning to be at Roy Cropper’s bedside as his life hangs in the balance following a heart attack, we learn that Joel (Calum Lill) was behind Lauren’s disappearance after she fell victim to his abusive behaviour.
Cait told how she had to hide in the boot of her co-star’s car to ensure she wasn’t spotted when filming her return scenes. “I had to sneak in and out the building, getting lifts from Calum but having to get in the boot to make sure I wasn’t being seen,” laughed Cait, 22.
“People would be at the front getting selfies, I’d be in the boot still. So it was a bit chaotic! It was like a massive game of twister in that boot, it was tiny. There were times when I had to get on the floor in a taxi, the driver was wondering what’s going on – and I’d just shout go go go! It was mad. Fun but mental. I never thought I would have to be doing that to get into work.”
Fans were left fearing for former sex worker Lauren’s safety after she disappeared off the cobbles in March. Roy Cropper (David Neilson) was accused of her murder, spending time jail.
Even when he was cleared of the crime, he struggled to deal with the ordeal. He had a heart attack when he was confronted by a gang of yobs leaving him in a coma.
Last night Lauren was revealed to be the mysterious person at his bedside - and Cait said she’s delighted the secret is finally out after months of cloak and dagger tactics.
“I knew from very early on I was coming back, which is such a fortunate position to be in in this industry because once you finish a job you don’t know what’s going to happen after that. It’s been a whirlwind of emotions.”
With constant questions about Lauren’s fate, Cait tried to throw fans off the scent by changing the Instagram bio to ‘used to play Lauren’.
She explained: “Everyone was like ‘has she left?’ I was ‘Yes I’m gone now I’m finished!’ The amount of people so invested in the storyline, it’s been a breath of fresh air. With Roy getting arrested for murder, then the reveal of Joel, it’s been an amazing storyline to be part of. But it has made it really tough. I started back in April, by that point obviously no one knows that I’m filming.”
“We filmed on location. That was a bit stressful. It felt like the Men in Black, I was in one of the big black coats, black sunglasses. The fact I wasn’t seen was a miracle. It’s been great. The support I’ve had online has been amazing. People messaging saying hope you’re not leaving the show we love what you did with the character, hearing that gives a reassurance.”
Joining ITV ’s Coronation Street in 2022, Cait’s character Lauren was only down to be a three month part as a member of a far right gang. Now she’s at the centre of the soap’s biggest storyline centering on her relationship with solicitor Joel and his coercive and controlling behaviour.
Over the coming days we’ll see more details about where she has been for the past couple of months - and what pushed her away.
Working closely with the Maggie Oliver charity - which was set up to help survivors of abuse - for the storyline, Cait said she met with women who had been groomed and abused, like Lauren.
“It was awful to hear what they’d been through,” told Cait. “The women were so inspiring. Even though they’d been through all this trauma, they turn pain into power. Just because you go through something traumatic, it doesn’t define who you are. That’s what’s so important, especially for Lauren, the trauma doesn’t make her less of a person compared to someone else.”
“When I heard these stories and how disconnected these people were with their stories, it touched me. It made me go ‘I need to do this justice now’. You can be a voice for people and bring it into our living rooms “Corrie is a big platform. Younger people that watch it, older people. From this storyline if I can make just one person speak up, I’ve done my job.”