After Joel seemed on the brink of a breakdown on Friday’s Coronation Street, crying on the phone to Dee-Dee in eerie scenes, spoilers have confirmed the villain will be declared dead next week.

Lisa Swain will be wrapping up an investigation as she learns that Joel Deering took his own life next week – but is everything really as it seems?

Coronation Street viewers will remember Calum Lill’s ITV alter ego was left a shell of himself after his vile deeds were rumbled, which earned him trouble with the law and the cancellation of his wedding with Dee-Dee Bailey (played by Channique Sterling-Brown).

On Friday, September 27, 2024, Joel was then seen leaving a voice message to his former fiancée, breaking down in tears as he realised there was no way back. In a sinister twist, he’d been left with a nasty injury on his face, which was left unexplained.

Next week, however, Dee-Dee gets news she refuses to accept as DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) and Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) find Joel’s abandoned car before launching a search for his body.

Coming up, Dee-Dee listens to Joel’s voice message and Lisa has a hunch it could be a suicide note. Kit soon pinpoints Joel’s last whereabouts with the help of the solicitor’s phone signal, and he later finds Joel’s car parked on a bridge with a folded note on the dashboard.

But while all signs seem to hint that Joel has taken his own life, in the café, Dee-Dee confides in Kit that she phoned the wedding venue and the holiday company to find out that Joel has recouped their deposits already. Though he has recently given £5k to both Lauren and his ex-wife Emily, this could also be a hint he may be on the run.

Later on in the week, Dee Dee confronts Joel’s dad at the police station and suggests his son has fled the cobbles. As tensions grow, Lisa is forced to step in and urges Dee-Dee to accept Joel is dead.

While Joel was seen in a bad way by residents of the cobbles, it was made clear to viewers he was putting on a display, another potential proof he is planning something big.

After missing his court date, Joel was in a bad way as he appeared drunk in Roy Cropper’s (David Neilson) café, shouting the odds and apologising for causing him trouble as the Corrie veteran was once sent to prison, suspected to have killed Lauren in cold blood. But when Carla Connor (Alison King) showed up, Joel fled the scene. He then poured out the contents of his bottle in a darkened alleyway, regaining his composure privately.

Joel then broke down in tears in his car as he left Dee-Dee his voice message. But again, as soon as he hung up the phone, Joel’s facial expression was blank and cold. What’s ahead for Weatherfield?