Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Zoe Delaney

Martine McCutcheon's changing looks - from EastEnders to Love Actually to pop star

Martine McCutcheon has been a household name for almost three decades, thanks to an impressive career spanning multiple genres.

Over the years, the mum-of-one, 45, has been one of nation's favourite soap stars, played a lead role in one of the world's most popular Christmas movies of all times, enjoyed a stint on the West End and also topped the music charts at a solo artist.

As she reveals her 'new face' after getting rid of her '90s brows', we take a look at the multi-talented star's changing looks since we first met her in Albert Square back in 1994.

Teenage pop star

Martine McCutcheon as we know and love her today (Getty Images)
The star with her Milan bandmates back in 1994 (REX/Shutterstock)

Before joining the cast of EastEnders in the early 90s, Martine had her eye set on musical stardom as part of all-girl pop group Milan.

At the age of 15, alongside two fellow Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts pupils, the future actress bagged a record contract with Polydor and even performed across the country, supporting boyband East 17 on tour.

The trio looked like quintessential pop stars - with Martine posing for one promo shoot in tights and little black hot pants, a matching top and a bold black baker boy hat.

The star-in-waiting looked fresh-faced and naturally beautiful, as she embarked on her first venture in the spotlight.

The trio was relatively successful, with three of their singles making it into the top ten of the dance charts, but they eventually disbanded.

Soap stardom

Martine's role as Tiffany Mitchell on EastEnders cemented her status as a big celebrity - with 22 million viewers tuning in to her final scenes on the BBC soap in 1998, when her character for killed off after four years of dramatic storylines.

Martine's stint on EastEnders catapulted her to stardom (BBC)

The special New Year's Eve episode may have made for dramatic viewing, but it wasn't how Martine had intended to leave the show.

After bidding farewell to Albert Square to pursue a pop career, the star slammed soap bosses for making the decision to kill her character off, as she had planned to reprise her role again in the future.

Martine felt she was being 'punished' for leaving, but bosses hit back claiming she only wanted to keep her role open as a 'safety net' - something they were not prepared to do.

Martine with her award at the National Television Awards in October 1997 (TV Times/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
The singer and actress looking chic and stylish at the height of her soap career in 1995 (Getty Images)

Despite only appearing on EastEnders for a few years, Martine's character still lives on in the long-running soap.
Four years after her on-screen death, best pal Bianca Jackson named her daughter after her late pal, calling her first-born Tiffany Butcher.

Martine also has some reminders of her soap days in her trophy cabinet, thanks to winning the 1997 National Television Award for Most Popular Actress,[and the 1998 TV Quick Award for Best Actress.

Solo career

Martine adopted an edgier look for her stint as a pop star (Getty Images)

After leaving EastEnders to revisit her musical roots, Martine found success as a solo artist at the turn of the millennium.

Signing with Virgin Records in 1999, the talented star went on to score a number one on the UK Singles Chart with the wedding-dance classic, Perfect Moment.

Her debut album, You Me & Us, also faired well in the charts - peaking at number two and spawning to more top 10 entries with follow-up singles.

The singer looks drastically different with lighter hair (Redferns)

As a new decade begun - and she embarked on a career change - Martine embraced a brand new style for her stint as a pop star - even dabbling with some blonde highlights for a short period of time!

Riding on the wave of her chart success, Martine went to tread the boards - playing Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady at the National Theatre in London.

Despite health problems cutting her theatrical debut short, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical at the 2002 ceremony.

Love Actually

The world fell in love with Martine's character in Love Actually (Peter Mountain/Universal/Dna/Working Title/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

Every Christmas, millions across the world settle down to watch Martine in her most famous role of all time.

Playing Hugh Grant's romantic interest in Love Actually, the former soap star's part as tea-lady Natalie in the Richard Curtis festive comedy in 2003 was her first-ever major film role.

Looking the part for the film's premieres, the then 27-year-old oozed old-school Hollywood glamour with her outfit choices on the red carpet.

The star went all out for red carpet appearances with Hugh Grant (AFP)

The actress opted for floor-length gowns and sultry make-up looks as she promoted what was her big break in the movie world.

Love Actually was a huge success, with both critics and the box office, and Martine took it as her chance to try her luck in America.

A movie career never materialised but she did win the MTV Movie Award for Best Trans-Atlantic Breakthrough Performer and the Empire Award for Best Newcomer at the 9th Empire Awards for her performance in the Christmas classic.

Present day

Now 45, Martine looks as gorgeous as ever (martinemccutcheon/Instagram)

These days - almost 30 years since she first appeared on EastEnders - Martine still looks likes she's barely aged a day.

In 2016, she revealed how regular Botox injections help her keep looking as fresh-faced and naturally beautiful as she did in her soap star days.

"So I had Botox and I didn't like it, it made me look a bit strange, and then I had it again, and Oh my god, I loved it, I absolutely loved it, because it didn't look like I wasn't me anymore, I just didn't looked like me but not a creased pillow basically," she explained while appearing on Loose Women six years ago.

Martine stunned her Instagram followers with this stunning look last year (martinemccutcheon/Instagram)

The mum-of-one caused a buzz at the end of the last year, as she showed off the results of her weight loss in a stunning black satin gown that she wore to The Savoy Hotel in London for a charity gala.

Martine - who shares son Rafferty, seven, with husband Jack McManus - has always given candid updates about her heath conditions impact her ability to lose weight at times.

In 2011, the Hackney-born star was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and six years later also Lyme disease.

Chatting to her fans on Instagram, Martine often she shares her experiences with flare-ups of fibromyalgia and how this impacts her, such as gaining weight.

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct at 0207 29 33033.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.