'Coronation Street's Joe McIntyre will be killed off in an insurance scam which goes drastically wrong.
The kitchen fitter - who experiencing severe money issues due to his addiction to prescription drugs - plans to go missing while on a boating holiday with wife Gail Platt so she can claim on his life insurance.
"'Corrie' bosses have decided that Joe will meet a watery end.
However, it all goes horribly wrong because as Joe - played by Reece Dinsdale - prepares to jump off his boat, a strong gust of wind blows its sail pole, which knocks him unconscious and into the freezing water.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "'Corrie' bosses have decided that Joe will meet a watery end.
"He decides to fake his own death to avoid his crippling debt problems and leave wife Gail with the proceeds from his life insurance."
The storyline echoes that of British man John Darwin, who faked his own death while out canoeing in 2002.
However, unlike Joe, John managed to initially get away with until he was rumbled by police, who then jailed him for fraud.
