Donna Yates

Donna Yates immediately rubs the Bridge Street traders up the wrong way and declares war on her stall rivals Kat and Bianca!

About
Donna Yates is a brash woman – Queen of Spring Lane market. She’s worked hard all her life and never taken a hand-out from anyone. Proud to a fault, Donna has fought tooth and nail for her independence and won’t let anyone take it away from her. Her self-started business is her livelihood and success is everything. She wants to win. She wants respect. She’d rather be feared than loved.

However, Donna’s abrasive personality covers hidden depths. Donna is an intelligent, though opinionated, woman. She works hard and swears by her unfaltering work ethic but by throwing herself so hard into her business other things have slid… primarily her love life. Donna hopes Mr Right is round the corner but her abrasive personality will probably put pay to finding him.

Storylines
Donna, knowing she would be merging with Bridge Street Market, decided to take a look at her competition, Kat Moon and Bianca Butcher's stall, whom didn't know about it. Kat joked that if she wanted tat (which she is wearing) she sould go to Spring Lane Market. Donna, being the owner of the clothes stall at Spring Lane, decided that they were enemies to her.

She later entered The Queen Victoria, after Kat and Bianca knew about the merging. However, they didn't know that Donna owned the clothes stall. Bianca tried to be nice to her after what Kat had said, but Donna being Donna told her that she sold the clothes at Spring Lane and thretened them that they wouldn't be selling clothes "for much longer".

When Alfie Moon asked Donna if she'd wear a wristband to remember Lucy Beale (who had been recently murdered), Donna refused saying that she didn't want to put customers off on her first day at Bridge Street.

Donna argued with Bianca when Kat went to her court hearing for attempting to prevert the course of justice, after saying she saw Alice Branning murder Michael Moon in order to get Janine Butcher (who was the one that killed Michael), to tell the court that she wasn't stabbed by Kat's cousin, Stacey Branning (Janine framed her by stabbing herself) so that Stacey could walk freely without being wanted by the police. Janine wanted to frame Stacey as she had slept with Janine's boyfriend, Ryan Malloy. However, Stacey had killed Archie Mitchell, which her boyfriend Bradley Branning was accused for. Bradley later died after being chased by the police on the roof of The Queen Vic. Stacey later confessed that she killed Archie. Donna was annoyed that Kat hadn't been put in prison. Kat later returned with no sentance.

Donna will become a suspect for the murder of Lucy later this year...

Creation and development
2014–

Loudmouth Donna always has to be top dog and will go to any lengths to achieve this. Never one to let her guard down, she takes no prisoners and always has to have the last word. But is her in-your-face persona all a front?

It's not easy to like Donna at first. She’s flinty, aggressive and difficult. However, as people get to know her better, they will discover a funny, loyal, but also fragile woman underneath.