Martine McCutcheon first shot to fame after joining EastEnders in 1994.
Martine played barmaid Tiffany Mitchell in the much-loved soap for four years, until her character was killed in a special episode screened on New Year's Eve. Prior to becoming a soap star, Martine played Mandy in Bluebirds in 1989, and she also had minor success as part of the pop group Milan in the early 1990s.
Aged just 12, she also appeared in an American television commercial for the drink Kool-Aid. But the 45-year-old is probably best known for her role as Hugh Grant's love interest Natalie in Love Actually.
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Since then, she has appeared in shows such as Spooks and Midsomer Murders. However, she hasn't acted professionally since 2018.
Her most recent TV appearances have seen her feature on celebrity quiz shows such as The Wheel and Blankety Blank. She also featured as the Swan on the 2020/21 series of The Masked Singer, and is a regular armchair critic on Celebrity Gogglebox.
Martine, who was actually born Martine Kimberley Sherrie Ponting, married singer-songwriter Jack McManus in September 2012 after three years of dating. Jack went to the famous BRIT school, which was also attended by the likes of Adele and Jessie J. They share a son, Rafferty Jack McManus, who is six years old.
The former EastEnders' star is often open about her well-being, and has previously spoken about her battles with anxiety. Earlier this year, the mum-of-one said she is "not always as tough as [she] would like to be".
In a heartfelt post on Instagram, she said: "To those who battle with any kind of mental health issue & yet put on their make up, or get up & fight for another day, or try new ways to live, love, & generally work their way through this thing called life - I salute you. Sometimes it’s far from easy. I’ve always been pretty open about my health issues - Both mental & physical but there is also so much more to me - So it’s something I’ve touched on rather than focused on.
"I didn’t want any kind of victim label, as I actually feel the opposite of that. I like to think I’m quite a brave person. An optimist. A go getter & a believer of the good in people. But I’ve had a time of struggle recently. I’m not always as tough as id like to be." [sic]
The actress also suffers with fibromyalgia, a condition that causes widespread pain and fatigue. In an interview with OK! she said that cold showers can help with her pain and make her feel like she's been "WD-40'd".
In the same interview, Martine said she preferred not to discuss her weight but did reveal that the 80/20 rule diet is the diet which “works for me”. In recent months, she appears to have lost a significant amount of weight.
She said: “I think it takes a long time to work out what your own recipe is. "It's taken me such a long time to look through all the stuff that's out there, and do just what works for me. So it's not as simple as just going on a crazy diet. I just feel it's really important to encourage women to just be the best version of themselves.”
Giving more details about her diet, she added: “For 80% of my week, I will have mainly just healthy proteins, vegetables and fruit, organic and veggie juices, and Flora ProActiv spread. And then I'll have treats 20% of the time. She went on to share that she does treat herself to pizza, chocolate or a G&T on special occasions, while doing "good bits for my heart” for the rest of the week.
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