Coronation Street's best kept secret is out, Lauren Bolton is alive. The character was unveiled as Roy's 'surprise visitor' in hospital after he suffered a heart attack, to the shock of fans, who believed she had died after her disappearance earlier this year.
Cast and crew worked so hard to keep her return, and the fact that she was alive under wraps that Cait Fitton had to leave the studio after filming by hiding in car boots and ‘lying on the floor of taxis’.
Speaking to OK! and other media outlets about keeping the secret on her return, Cait said: “It was mad. It was so fun but it was mental. I never thought I’d have to be doing that to get into work."
“I was getting lifts by Cal, [Calum Lill] but I was having to get into the boot to make sure I wasn’t being seen.
“People would be at the front taking selfies and 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!”
Roy was previously imprisoned for Lauren's ‘murder’ after an innocent act of cleaning her flat, however, was later released. Nathan Curtis, who was jailed previously jailed for the grooming and exploitation of young girls was then arrested after being set up by corrupt police officer Kit Green. However in a shock turn of events, viewers got to see the truth.
A flashback of Joel was revealed, which showed him violently attacking Lauren.
Although everyone thought she had been murdered, Cait knew very early on that her character Lauren was coming back, which was when she had to sneak in and out of the building to avoid being seen.
The star also joked about feeling like she was in Men in Black while 'in hiding'. "It's been a whirlwind of emotions," the star expressed. "We filmed on location, the week of reveal, I felt like I was in Men in Black with a big black coat and sunglasses, I was loving life!" Luckily Cait wasn't seen, which she called "a miracle".
Now the secret is out, viewers may be wondering what Lauren has been up to since the disappearance, which they will learn more of in the coming weeks. “She’s been running from hostel to hostel, sleeping homeless, she’s not been able to pay the rent so she’s been booted out of different hostels," Cait teased. "She didn't want to take the risk of coming back because of Joel, she had a near death experience."
However, after hearing Roy was in hospital, Cait said Lauren had to return 'to make things right', even though she knows she’ll get backlash from Weatherfield, due to how loved the café owner is.
During her time on the cobbles, and her return, Cait and has been working with charities and speaking to survivors with the Maggie Oliver Foundation, a UK-based charity, set up with the focus of helping survivors of abuse transform their pain into power.
“If from this storyline I can make one person speak up, I’ve done my job," she said.
