Yolande Trueman struggles to cope in the aftermath of Pastor Clayton’s suicide in EastEnders

YOLANDE Trueman will struggle to cope in EastEnders next week following the shocking suicide of her abuser Pastor Clayton. 

The pastor (Howard Saddler) will take his own life after Yolande (Angela Wynter) comes forward to the police about being sexually assaulted by him.

BBC

Yolande Trueman will struggle in the aftermath of Pastor Clayton’s suicide[/caption]

BBC

Her family will rally around for support[/caption]

BBC

But she will struggle to move on from her abuser’s shock death[/caption]

In scenes next week, EastEnders will see Pastor Clayton desperately try to get Yolande to change her statement against him before committing suicide off-screen. 

Yolande stands her ground against him and feels strongly about her decision, knowing she’s done the right thing.

But at the end of the evening, as Patrick (Rudolph Walker) and Yolande make to call it a night, they are interrupted by the police, who reveal the news about Pastor Clayton.  

Soap fans can expect to see Yolande struggle in the wake of her abuser’s death. 

As Yolande reels, her family tries to rally round her, and she leans on Patrick for support.

But after questioning her next move, Yolande is interrupted by Pastor Clayton’s wife Stella (Velile Tshabalala), who arrives out of the blue. 

What does she want from Yolande?

Earlier this year, Yolande bravely opened up about her sexual assault at the Pastor’s hands.

With the storyline spanning several months, horrifying scenes in April saw the Pastor sexually assault Yolande following previous over-familiar behaviour.

She struggled to stop herself from breaking down and rushed into the launderette in the aftermath.

Although she reported the villain to police, there initially wasn’t enough evidence.

However, things had started to look up when police decide to charge him with two counts of assault.

Yolande also came forward about what happened to her within her church community. 

Since the assault, Yolande has sought justice and became aware of other women targeted by Pastor Clayton.

Darkest soap storylines

Over the years the likes of EastEnders, Emmerdale and Coronation Street have all tried to try outdo each other with their outlandish plots in a bid to keep us tuning in each week. But here are some of the darkest that had fans in shock…

EastEnders: Tony grooming Whitney (2008-2009) – Tony King first appeared in Albert Square in 2008 as the boyfriend of Bianca, played by Patsy Palmer. But it was quickly revealed he was a paedophile who had been grooming vulnerable Whitney, Bianca’s adopted stepdaughter from a previous relationship, since she was 12. The shocking storyline attracted more than 200 complaints within a week of it beginning. Whitney waited until her 16th birthday to reveal the truth to a horrified Bianca, who called the police.

Emmerdale: Holly’s drug addiction and shock death (2010-2016) – In 2010, Holly Barton (played by Sophie Powles) became Emmerdale’s first teenage drug addict. The shocking storyline saw her taking cocaine on a night out before developing a deadly heroin habit. Parents John and Moira desperately tried to help get their daughter clean but when Holly returned in 2016, following a four-year absence, she quickly relapsed. Fans were left stunned and heartbroken when distraught Moira found Holly dead in her bed from a heroin overdose.

Hollyoaks: Luke’s rape (2000) – Actor Gary Lucy was just 17 when he took on this groundbreaking storyline, which saw his character Luke Morgan become soap’s first male rape victim. Luke had endured a long-running bullying campaign by football rival Mark Gibbs – who raped him after Luke stood up to him. Luke was left suicidal following the brutal attack, before opening up to his brother Adam. Gibbs was sentenced to eight years in prison. Gary won the Best Actor gong at the British Soap Awards in 2000 for his performance.

Coronation Street: Evil Richard Hillman (2001-2003) – Just a mere mention of ‘Richard Hillman’ is enough to send a shiver down the spines of soap fans. He is often ranked one of the most evil soap villains and it’s not hard to see why. The smooth-talking financial adviser bashed his ex-wife Patricia over the head with a shovel. In a bid to keep his mother-in-law Audrey quiet, he set fire to her house. And when Maxine caught him trying to murder Emily Bishop, he took a crowbar to her head. He made his exit from the cobbles in 2003 when he drove Gail Platt, played by Helen Worth, and her family into the canal. They survived, but he didn’t.

With help from church elder Levi, Yolande made contact with a woman called Delia, who accused the pastor of sexual assault in 2016.

But with Pastor Clayton now dead, Yolande may not get the closure she needs as she and Delia will not see justice done by the police now.

EastEnders viewers can expect to see Yolande struggle with this revelation in the aftermath of her abuser’s suicide.

BBC

Pastor Clayton tried to get Yolande to change her statement after she reported him for assaulting her earlier this year[/caption]

BBC

After realising he couldn’t bully her into changing her statement he committed suicide[/caption]