Anthea Deering

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/cor...-joel-parents/

Coronation Street star Calum Lill has confirmed that his character Joel Deering's parents will make an appearance on the soap.

Show bosses have started to explore Joel's backstory, with next week's episodes revealing the big secret that he's keeping.

Calum has now spoken about how Joel's story will develop beyond this, with upcoming scenes featuring his mother and father.

Asked whether this will help viewers to understand Joel better, Calum told Digital Spy and other press: "Definitely. Joel is the middle child from a middle class family.

"He's navigating that and trying to be good enough. I'm looking forward to seeing how that unfolds."

Next week's episodes see Joel come clean to his girlfriend Dee-Dee Bailey about why he has been spending time with a mystery woman.

Alya Nazir tips off Dee-Dee about spotting Joel in a car with newcomer Emily. Joel then tells Dee-Dee that Emily is his estranged wife ? and the mother of his daughter Maisie.

Calum continued: "Joel is going through the divorce but legally she's not his ex-wife yet. His soon-to-be ex-wife Emily wants him to finalise the divorce.

"Joel probably sees Dee-Dee as a bit too good for him. She's so intelligent and he sees her as so amazing, so he puts her on a bit of a pedestal and he thought: 'If I tell her too soon about my baggage, she won't look twice at me'.

"So I think he?s probably waited for the right time. The right time's not come, and the longer he's waited, the more he feels like he's deliberately deceived her and he's dug this huge hole.

"His intention is just to be someone worthy of her and I think he's just dug a huge hole for himself, as it doesn't look good."

Coronation Street airs the revelation of Joel's secret on Wednesday, February 21.

Coronation Street have cast actress Carol Royle as the mother of Joel Deering

Carol, 70, will play Anthea Deering in upcoming scenes on the ITV soap

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/cor...arents-return/


Coronation Street will air a return for Joel Deering's parents next week, following their disastrous first meeting with his new fianc?e Dee-Dee Bailey.

Joel and Dee-Dee's recent lunch with his mum and dad, Anthea and Gus, went badly when snobby Anthea made rude comments about Dee-Dee's career, before insulting her dad Ed.

After Dee-Dee stormed out of the Bistro, Joel followed her home and proposed to her - with his parents still unaware of their engagement.

In scenes that will air on Monday, June 24 and Friday, June 28, Dee-Dee and Ed head out to meet Anthea and Gus for another lunch in the Bistro. After they sit down, Anthea apologises for their behaviour at their previous meal, and Dee-Dee is pleasantly surprised by her words.

But when Amy Barlow lets slip that Dee-Dee and Joel are newly engaged, Anthea and Gus are taken aback.

Meanwhile, secret villain Joel has set his sights on a new young target, having come across a distressed Sabrina Adetiba at the police station.

Sabrina's mate, however, reckons that Joel is a creep and advises her to steer well clear of the solicitor, making Sabrina realise that she has been na?ve.

Elsewhere, Dee-Dee is preparing for her and Joel's engagement lunch. As they get ready, Joel furtively takes a call from Sabrina's mate, who instructs him that he needs to meet up with her or he'll regret it.

What does Sabrina's friend want, and could she be about to expose Joel's dark secrets?

It was revealed last month that it was Joel who was responsible for Lauren Bolton's disappearance, having attacked her after she tried to end their 'relationship', and it was also confirmed that Joel has been targeting other vulnerable young women, including Nicky Wheatley's contact Ellie.

It has since been hinted that Joel may now have Bethany Platt in his sights - but little does he know that she's already suspicious about his intentions.

Joel actor Calum Lill, who has just confirmed his real-life engagement to girlfriend Roberta, has teased that Joel may struggle to keep up his double life as time goes on, saying that "the longer he hides, the more chance there is of him making a mistake".

"I think the longer it goes on for, the more chance he's got of slipping up and I think he knows that," he said. "You can see that he's getting more and more anxious, and that the slightest thing could bring his world crumbling down around him."

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/cor...ren-baby-plot/

Coronation Street's Cait Fitton has opened up on the arrival of Joel Deering's parents Gus and Anthea in Weatherfield.

Cait's character Lauren Bolton is currently raising her and Joel's son Frankie in a prison's mother and baby unit after being held on remand for Joel's murder.

Meanwhile, Joel's parents Gus and Anthea arrived on the cobbles to invite Dee-Dee Bailey to a memorial service for Joel's birthday, running into Max Turner while he pushed Frankie in his pram.

After learning Frankie is their grandson, Gus and Anthea contact their solicitor to learn where they stand regarding access.

After Max allows the couple to spend time with the baby, they disappear, leaving everyone around them suspicious of their motives ? especially when Lauren later receives news that bruises have been found on Frankie's body.

Cait now speaks about Lauren's reaction to Joel's parents' arrival, revealing that her character "hates" them.

"I don't think anyone is born evil or a killer so I think Lauren blames Joel's parents," she said.

"To Gus and Anthea, Joel was that little boy who can do no wrong in their eyes and that really frustrates Lauren because they can't see the monster they have created.

"That's where I think Joel and Lauren are quite similar, because they both haven't had great models to look up to in life.

"For Gus, let's just say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree because they are so similar in their mannerisms and will look down on people. Gus is in law too, so he knows how to work it."

Cait added that Lauren finds being around Gus "really triggering" as "all she can see is Joel".

"Both Gus and Anthea are a massive threat to Lauren because now that Joel isn't around, they will do anything in their power to bring Lauren down," she continues.

She added that the storyline will show "another side to Lauren" as her natural instincts to protect the baby place her "in full mother mode as well as survival mode... not just for herself anymore, but her son".

Later scenes will see Lauren finding out that Frankie has bruising on his body, with Cait sharing that Lauren believes Gus and Anthea are responsible.

"Instantly, Lauren thinks Gus and Anthea have done something to set her up," she said.

"She can't even think rationally because she just thinks something sinister has happened so Lauren will lose Frankie forever.

"Lauren's looking for someone to blame and I think Max will get the brunt of it, because he should never have taken his eyes off of Frankie for even a second when Gus and Anthea were visiting him."