Note: The following article contains discussion of sexual assault.

EastEnders spoilers follow.

EastEnders will air a special two-hander episode

next week, as Yolande and Patrick Trueman take

centre-stage in a poignant episode focusing on

Yolande’s devastating sexual assault.

The BBC has confirmed that actors Angela Wynter and Rudolph Walker, who play Yolande and Patrick, will feature in an episode devoted entirely to their characters, as Patrick discovers that his partner was recently sexually assaulted by Pastor Clayton.

The emotional episode will see Yolande finally break her silence about the assault, as she opens up to her partner about what she has been going through in silence over the past few weeks.

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While Patrick will finally have answers on why Yolande has been struggling recently, their conversation will begin a new and difficult journey for the couple as Patrick tries to process the awful news and work out the best way to support Yolande.

EastEnders’ executive producer Chris Clenshaw has given an insight into the upcoming special episode, praising actors Wynter and Walker for their powerful performances.

“When you have a story that deserves time and space to explore, and you have talent like Angela Wynter and Rudoph Walker, it felt only right to produce an EastEnders two-hander episode,” he said.

“This conversation is the most difficult that Yolande and Patrick will ever have, and an episode dedicated to them gives us a chance to tell this story truthfully and authentically. I’m in awe of the performances Angela and Rudolph have given and they’ve handled such a challenging and sensitive subject matter.”