EastEnders star Angela Wynter has explained her character Yolande Trueman’s next steps as her sexual
assault story continues.
In one of the most powerful soap stories of the year, Yolande was sexually assaulted by Pastor
Clayton while they were working together.
The traumatic event took its toll on Yolande, who initially told only Elaine about her ordeal before eventually opening up to her husband Patrick and her wider family.
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While she found the courage to report her assault to the police and Pastor Clayton was subsequently arrested, Yolande was told that the case wasn’t strong enough for a criminal charge.
But churchgoer Levi since got in contact with another victim called Delia, and she agreed to report the pastor to the police to strengthen the evidence against him.
While the storyline has taken a backseat recently, Angela has told Digital Spy that things are far from over, during the official EastEnders nominees photoshoot for the 2024 Inside Soap Awards.
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We filmed a behind-the-scenes video with the cast as they got glammed up for photos, which you can see in the current issue of Inside Soap. You can watch our full video at the top of this page.
On what is coming up for Yolande, Angela said: “She’s going to be fighting for justice for herself. She wants the pastor to go to court and see his day. And it’s a hard slog. That’s all I can say!”
When asked about what it means to have led such a powerful storyline, Angela became emotional and said: “I’m really grateful to have been given the responsibility to carry that story, because it’s a very important story. A very important topic that we need to keep plugging at, to try and erase it from society, if ever we can.”
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Angela’s performance as Yolande has garnered widespread praise, and she has been nominated for Best Actress at this year’s Inside Soap Awards – alongside Rudolph Walker, who is up for Best Actor for his portrayal of Patrick.
“It’s lovely,” Angela said, reflecting on her nod. “I’m a little numb, because I don’t really have the expectation of winning. It’s just nice to be nominated. It’s nice, it’s rewarding, it makes me feel validated.”
Like the rest of the cast, Angela is looking forward to the soap’s 40th anniversary celebrations next year and said: “It’s exciting. EastEnders is such a nice place to be, that I can’t even think how much nicer it’s going to be when we get to the 40th.
“I go to work and I walk along my corridor and I go, ‘Ooh, I’m at work!’ You get nice bubbles in your stomach when you go to work. So I can imagine it’s going to be really nice, because there’s a lovely family atmosphere.”
