Who plays Yolande Trueman in EastEnders and what happened to her?
8 August 2023, 13:10
It's been six years since viewers last saw Yolande Trueman in EastEnders. Here's everything we know about actress Angela Wynter.
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Yolande Trueman made a surprise appearance in EastEnders last night after a six year break.
The character first appeared in the soap in 2003 and is best known for her iconic feud with Pat Evans and being the ex-wife of Patrick Trueman.
Fans were ecstatic by the character's return to Albert Square and the reunion between Yolande and Patrick.
With the character back on our screens, who plays Yolande Trueman and why did she leave EastEnders? Here's all you need to know.
Who plays Yolande Trueman?
Yolande Trueman is played by actress Angela Wynter, aged 66.
The soap star was born in Kingston, Jamaica before emigrating to the UK.
She began her career treading the boards in London, performing a stage play titled Meetings with future co-star Rudolph Walker and playing the role of Mout in the Talawa Theatre Company production of Sol B River's monologue To Rahtid, at the Young Vic Studio.
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What happened to Yolande Trueman?
Angela made her EastEnders debut in 2003 as Patrick's lover Yolande Trueman after the two met on holiday in Trinidad.
Whilst on the soap, Yolande tackled emotional storylines including fostering, adultery and of course her endearing relationship with Patrick.
The EastEnders favourite left the Square in 2008 to begin a new life in Birmingham but briefly reappeared in 2017 to visit Patrick on his birthday.
Why did Angela Wynter leave EastEnders?
In an interview with The Voice, published by Digital Spy, Angela detailed why she was leaving the soap.
The actress said: "I'm not unhappy to leave EastEnders because life is about changes and new beginnings, but I am unhappy about the producers reasoning in how they came to their decision because you can always write stories for people to act."
She added: "I'm not unhappy to leave EastEnders because life is about changes and new beginnings, but I am unhappy about the producers reasoning in how they came to their decision because you can always write stories for people to act."
What did Angela Wynter do after EastEnders?
Since leaving EastEnders Angela has been extremely busy. The actress has landed roles in Vera, Death in Paradise and Doctors.
More recently the soap legend had a recurring role in the American teen drama Vampire Academy and made a guest appearance in Call the Midwife.
Angela Wynter's personal life
There isn't a lot of information available about Angela Wynter's personal life, however the actress has spoken about her close family members.
In a recent interview, Angela revealed her late sister Marlene was the inspiration behind her character Yolande.
Angela said: "Yolande is based on my own late sister. She's bubbly and positive, and she won Patrick over with her charm and her toughness. She's vulnerable, but she's principled."
She continued: "I wanted to honour my sister in some way.
"Yolande's vulnerability and principled nature were inspired by Merlene's own qualities."
Upon the character's return to the soap, EastEnders fans took to Twitter to express their delight.
One user posted: "Yolande is back and all is good with the world #EastEnders", while another added: "I’m obsessed with Yolande Trueman from #EastEnders."
A third stated: "YOLANDE IS BACK I CAN’T BELIEVE IT."
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