In the world of soaps, there's more than a fair share of important storylines that have raised awareness, got conversations started and lingered with viewers long after watching.
Wynter bagged the accolade for Best Actor at the first ever RadioTimes.com Soap Awards 2024 sponsored by Inspired Villages, which made the actress emotional after being honoured.
Chatting exclusively with RadioTimes.com after receiving her award, Wynter said: "It's surreal, don't ask me too many questions because I'm about to cry. I want to, again, thank the BBC - the BBC's always given me work and EastEnders is a great place to be.
"And thank my boss for inviting me back, and thank the gentleman who came up with the storyline. Thank my boss for giving me the responsibility to carry that storyline."
Yolande and Patrick in EastEnders. BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron
On the storyline with Pastor Clayton, Wynter said: "I wish it would stop, you know. But it isn't going to stop.
"There's a lot of women, like myself, who escaped it because we knew how to get out of there swift. But lots of us don't escape - lots of women, children, men don't escape it and it needs to stop.
"I'm just glad that I was able to carry the story, and I hope that it keeps the awareness up because everything is large, but that one germ that has always been prevalent just keeps lurking around the place and it destroys lives.
Since Yolande's assault earlier this year, viewers have seen how the fan-favourite character had initially confided in her friend Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) and then her partner Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker), before bravely reporting her experience to the church.
The soap even treated fans to a special two-hander episode between Yolande and Patrick as we saw them come to terms with Yolande's news, with the pair stronger than ever and united in their bid to take down the pastor and expose his abuse.
Wynter wasn't the only EastEnders actor to take home an award on the night, with the beloved soap dominating the evening with a staggering seven wins.
In addition to Wynter winning Best Actor, some of the awards included Danny Walters for Best Exit, Sixmas for Best Moment of the Year and Navin Chowdhry for Best Villain.
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
