Martine McCutcheon English pop singer, actress, famous television personality Date of Birth: 14.05.1976 Country: Great Britain

Martine McCutcheon: Biography

Martine McCutcheon was born on May 14, 1976, in the Salvation Army Mothers' Hospital in Hackney, London, England, United Kingdom. She is an English singer, actress, television personality, and recipient of the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award. McCutcheon experienced some success when she sang as part of the pop trio 'Milan' in the early 1990s. However, she gained widespread recognition in the United Kingdom after landing the role of Tiffany Mitchell in the BBC series 'EastEnders' in 1995.

After leaving the popular drama series, McCutcheon rekindled her pop career as a solo artist in late 1998. Her international success with the debut single 'Perfect Moment,' which topped the charts in five countries, led to the release of three albums with varying degrees of popularity. However, her pop diva career experienced a setback due to the poor reception of her third album in 2002.

During this time, McCutcheon also appeared in several television programs, as well as the films 'Love Actually' (as Natalie) and the renowned musical 'My Fair Lady,' where she portrayed the role of Eliza Doolittle and earned a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award. She also released her autobiography titled 'Who Does She Think She Is?' in 2000.

Martine McCutcheon's early years were tumultuous, as she faced the erratic behavior of her drug-addicted father, Thomas Hemmings. She vividly remembers her father hanging her from a balcony nine meters high, threatening to drop her unless her mother complied with his demands. Despite her father abandoning her at the age of two, he intermittently returned and threatened her mother. Consequently, McCutcheon spent her early years running away and hiding from her mentally unstable drug-addicted father.

When she turned nine, McCutcheon's mother, Jenny Tomlin, obtained sole custody and a restraining order against her father, preventing him from coming near their daughter until she reached adulthood. McCutcheon later took her stepfather's surname and convinced the Church of England to sponsor her dance, ballet, jazz, tap, and drama education. She successfully met the requirements for admission to the prestigious Italia Conti stage school. At the age of 12, McCutcheon played her first acting role in a 'Kool-Aid' drink commercial, followed by modeling projects and minor roles in television series.

The young talent appeared in the music video for Enya's song 'Caribbean Blue' and joined the girl group 'Milan' at the age of 15. The group, along with the British boy band 'East 17,' embarked on a concert tour. However, McCutcheon found the level of success with 'Milan' unsatisfactory and decided to leave the group to pursue other opportunities.

Her breakthrough came when she landed the role of Tiffany in the soap opera 'EastEnders.' McCutcheon became instantly famous, with 22 million viewers watching her final episode in 1998, where her character was killed off. However, McCutcheon was disappointed with the storyline's outcome as she wanted to focus on her music career. She publicly accused producer Mel Young of deliberately and unjustifiably removing her from the popular series, rather than simply firing her. On the other hand, Young claimed that McCutcheon's anger stemmed from fear of failing in her pop career without a backup plan.

As a new solo pop artist signed to Virgin Records, McCutcheon surprised everyone with her ballad 'Perfect Moment,' which achieved global success, reaching the top of the charts in the UK, Israel, Italy, Switzerland, and Ireland. Her second album 'Wishing' followed, selling 250,000 copies, but was less successful than her debut. However, her third album 'Musicality' only reached the 55th spot on the album chart and led to the termination of her contract with the record label.

McCutcheon earned her first significant role in Richard Curtis' romantic comedy-drama film 'Love Actually.' Despite the film's success and box office performance, McCutcheon struggled to establish herself as a Hollywood actress, although she won the 'MTV Movie Awards' in 2004 for the 'Best Transatlantic Breakthrough' category.

The media extensively covered McCutcheon's romantic relationships. She was engaged to DJ Gareth Cooke, but their relationship ended in 1996, followed by Cooke selling stories about their intimate life to the press. McCutcheon then started dating her friend Jonathan Barnham, but their love did not survive Jonathan's infidelity, which led to their breakup in 2001. McCutcheon had to pay £75,000 for him and his father when they faced drug importation charges.

In December 2002, McCutcheon entered into a stable relationship with James Tanner, a property developer, which was unlike her previous experiences.