Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) has been struggling in the wake of Pastor Clayton’s (Howard Saddler) suicide, and in tonight’s EastEnders episode it became clear that she was losing her faith.
Yolande was sexually assaulted by Pastor Clayton earlier this year, and bravely reported him to the police.
After the Pastor was arrested, more women came forward with their own stories, hoping to get justice for what he had done.
However, in recent scenes Yolande was left stunned when she received the news that Pastor Clayton was dead, having taken his own life.
It didn’t take long for the news to hit Albert Square, and during a breakfast at the cafe Yolande and Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) were joined by infamous gossip Mo Harris (Laila Morse), who was keen to discuss the news.
When Mo made a comment about his victims rejoicing at the news, Yolande pointed out that she clearly wasn’t, leaving Mo speechless for once.
Having realised that Yolande was one of the women Pastor Clayton had assaulted, she wasted no time in spreading the news through the market, much to Yolande’s horror.
Believing that it would be good to get Yolande out of the house, Patrick encouraged her to join him in the Queen Vic, though Yolande wasn’t so sure.
On the way there, they were stopped by Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton), who told Yolande that she thought she was really brave.
Though Honey meant well, the idea of everyone knowing what had happened was too much for Yolande, and she rushed off home, much to the concern of Patrick.
When Patrick explained that he thought being around friends and family would help Yolande move on, she asked how she could possibly be expected to move on when Pastor Clayton was never going to face trial or a guilty vedict.
She went on to explain how she will never be able to get comfort from his death, as she will never be able to see him show any remorse or acknowledgement of what he did.
As Yolande questioned where she would find peace, Patrick suggested her faith, but she was quick to refute the idea.
She pointed out that her faith, the church and God had caused her ‘all this grief’, and that the words of the bible couldn’t console her anymore.
Devastated, Yolande threw her copy of the bible into the bin, before breaking down and heading upstairs.
Will Patrick be able to support her as she struggles in the wake of Pastor Clayton’s death?
