I Knew My Husband Was The One After Three Dates!

Martine McCutcheon opens up about love, learning from your mistakes, and Loose Women…

- Helen Stuart

At the turn of the millennium, Martine McCutcheon had the world at her feet – she’d had a popular turn as Tiffany in East Enders, a no1 single and was soon to land a role in Richard Curtis’ festive romcom, Love Actually. But then she was hit by a string of health problems, including chronic fatigue, depression and Lyme disease, and took time away from fame.

Luckily, during this period, Martine, 41, finally found true love with musician husband Jack McManus, and gave birth to their son Rafferty in 2015. now, she’s back on our screens on Loose Women, and on the radio again, with her first album in 15 years. Here, she talks about the lessons she’s learnt along the way…

‘I’ve exorcised a lot of demons with this album. I never knew whether I would be in a place where I would be able to perform again because I was so sick, so it was something that was just for me – and it was only because Jack has links in the industry that people heard it. It was just the most amazing accident, because it wasn’t my priority. My plan was to enjoy being a mum. Ever since I was young, I always loved what I did so much. And before I had my own family, it was a huge part of my identity. So when I couldn’t do it any more and I was focusing on having my baby, I missed it like crazy. It’s wonderful to get back to what I love.’