Martine McCutcheon
McCutcheon in 2010
Born	Martine Kimberley Sherrie Ponting (1976-05-14)14 May 1976 (age 49) Hackney, London, England
Education	Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
Occupations	Actress singer
Years active	1988–present
Known for	EastEnders Love Actually My Fair Lady
Spouse	Jack McManus ​ ​ (m. 2012; sep. 2024)​
Children	1
Awards	Laurence Olivier Award
Musical career
Genres	Pop
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Innocent,Virgin,Liberty,BMG
Musical artist

Martine Kimberley Sherrie McCutcheon (formerlyPonting, born 14 May 1976) is an English actress and singer. She began appearing in television commercials at an early age and made her television debut in the children's television dramaBluebirds in 1989. In the early 1990s, she had minor success as one third of the pop group Milan, but it was her role asTiffany Mitchell in theBBC's soap operaEastEnders and her role in the 2003 romantic comedyLove Actually that brought her stardom. For the former she won theNational Television Award, while the latter earned her theEmpire andMTV Movie awards. She was written out ofEastEnders at the end of 1998 and then embarked on a pop career, this time as a solo artist.

McCutcheon's debut studio album,You Me & Us (1999), peaked at number two in the UK, and spawned the UK number one single "Perfect Moment" and two further UK top 10 entries, "I've Got You" and thedouble-sided "Talking in Your Sleep/"Love Me". Its follow-up,Wishing (2000), was less commercially successful but produced two UK top 10 singles: "I'm Over You" and "On the Radio". Her pop career stalled due to the poor reception of her 2002 third album,Musicality (2002). She returned to music in 2017 with the albumLost and Found. Outside of music, McCutcheon continued to appear in television programmes, films and stage productions; her portrayal ofEliza Doolittle inMy Fair Lady won her aLaurence Olivier Award in 2002. She released her autobiographyWho Does She Think She Is? in 2000.

Martine Kimberley Sherrie Ponting^[1] was born on 14 May 1976 atthe Salvation Army Mothers' Hospital in theLondon Borough of Hackney^[2] to Jenny Ponting and Thomas "Keith" Hemmings.^[3] While in a relationship with Keith, Jenny experienced domestic violence, which continued for many years after their split.^[4] After one of many incidents in which he attempted to kill both Jenny and Martine, he was arrested and later charged and remanded in custody for six months.^[5] Jenny then met John McCutcheon, whom she later married.^[6][7] When Martine was nine, Keith contacted Jenny and asked for access to her. Jenny refused, prompting him to seek sole custody of Martine through the courts. He eventually lost the case, was denied any access to Martine until she was 18 and told that he could not apply for it again due to his past behaviour.^[7] Shortly after, her surname was changed to her stepfather's, McCutcheon.^[8] When Martine was sixteen, her mother gave birth to her half-brother, Laurence "LJ".^[9] Jenny and John eventually divorced and she married Alan Tomlin in 2000.^[10][11]

McCutcheon attended a nursery school inColchester, Essex,^[12] and later the Shacklewell Infants' School in Hackney, where she performed in her first playAway in a Manger before progressing to the Shacklewell Juniors' School at the age of six, where she appeared in more plays, includingNoah's Ark.^[13] At the age of five, she began attending extra dance classes and later enrolled in a dance school inStoke Newington.^[14] Shortly before her tenth birthday, she successfully auditioned for a place at theItalia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.^[15] However, because of the changing policy of theInner London Education Authority (ILEA), she was no longer eligible for the grant she was supposed to receive for coming second in the audition and, with no financial support, she was forced to withdraw.^[16] Instead, she began to attend Italia Conti's Saturday lessons.^[17] Later, the Reeves Foundation, aChurch of England charity based inMoorgate, offered McCutcheon a grant and she was able to enrol at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.^[18] She finished school with nineGCSEs.^[19]

At the age of 12, McCutcheon obtained her first acting role and was paid £350 to appear in an American television commercial for the drinkKool-Aid, which was followed by modelling assignments and bit parts in television shows.^[20] She was given the part of Mandy in the television seriesBluebirds (1989) alongsideBarbara Windsor and played Susan, Jane's sister (played byDenise van Outen), in theAnthony Newley-directed production ofStop the World – I Want to Get Off, at theChurchill Theatre inBromley, London, which was later transferred to theWest EndLyric Theatre inShaftesbury Avenue.^[21] This was followed by two guest appearances on theITV police dramaThe Bill in 1991 and 1992. McCutcheon also appeared in the music video for the song "Caribbean Blue" by Irish singerEnya. By the time she was 15, she was part of an all-girl group, Milan, with two fellow pupils, and landed a record contract withPolydor and a gig touring as the warm-up act for the British boyband,East 17. Milan were reasonably successful. Three of their singles: "Is It Love You're After", "Affectionately Mine" and "Lead Me On", charted in the top ten of the dance charts, with the latter also making it to the top 100 of theUK Singles Chart.^[22] However, they were not successful enough to make a living and disbanded.^[23][20]

In 1994, McCutcheon was offered the small part ofTiffany Raymond on the popularBBCsoap operaEastEnders. The role of Tiffany grew as did McCutcheon's popularity and 22 million viewers tuned in to see her final scenes inAlbert Square in 1998 when her character was killed off in a special episode screened onNew Year's Eve.^[24] In reality, McCutcheon had decided to leave the soap in order to embark on a pop career and the death of her character was not viewed favourably by the actress as she had intended to return.^[25] Since leaving the show, McCutcheon has publicly slammed the BBC's "Controller of Continuing Drama Series",Mal Young, who made the decision to kill her character. She accused him of treating her unfairly and bringing her role in the soap to an end so irrevocably, merely as punishment for leaving.^[20] In turn, Young has hit back at McCutcheon, saying her anger only arose because she wanted him to keep her role inEastEnders open as a "safety net", in case her pop career failed, and he was not prepared to do this.^[20]

For her portrayal of the character, she received the1997 National Television Award for Most Popular Actress,^[26] and the 1998TV Quick Award for Best Actress.^[27]

McCutcheon's first appearance on the charts occurred in 1995 on a minor dance song "Are You Man Enough" with the dance producers Uno Clio. A promotional video was also produced. In 1999, she debuted as a solo pop artist withVirgin Records and scored anumber one on theUK Singles Chart with the ballad "Perfect Moment" (originally recorded byEdyta Górniak in 1997). Her debut album,You Me & Us, was released that September. It peaked at number two on theUK Albums Chart and was certified platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI). The album spawned two moretop 10 entries, reaching number six with two singles: "I've Got You" and later with "Talking in Your Sleep", which featured the doubleA-side "Love Me", an album track that was re-recorded for theChildren in Need appeal with all proceeds being donated to that cause. She was nominated for theBrit Award for Best Pop Act in2000.^[28]

In 2000, McCutcheon released her second album,Wishing, which was less successful, charting at number 25 in the UK. The album spawned two singles – the number two hit "I'm Over You" and the follow-up song, a cover of theDonna Summer classic "On the Radio" which peaked at number seven. Despite peaking at only number 25, the album still managed to sell around 250,000 copies, and received a gold certification from BPI. McCutcheon released her third album,Musicality, aBroadway-influenced cover album, in 2002. It reached number 55 in the UK and was certified silver by BPI. Due to poor sales, her recording contract was cancelled and her pop career stalled.^[20] Her two-CDbest-of-album calledThe Collection was released in September 2012.^[29]

McCutcheon returned to music in 2017 with her fourth studio album,Lost and Found, released in August byBMG. Its lead single, "Say I'm Not Alone" was released on 30 May 2017.^[30] The album peaked at number 17 in the UK, becoming McCutcheon's highest-charting record sinceYou Me & Us.^[31]

McCutcheon regularly appears in pantomimes.^[32] She appeared in ITV'sThe Knock as well as the British filmKiss Kiss (Bang Bang) in 2000. She went on to playEliza Doolittle inMy Fair Lady at theNational Theatre in London. Despite missing many performances (citing health problems) and withdrawing nearly five months early from the production's transfer to theTheatre Royal, Drury Lane,^[33] she won theLaurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical at the2002 ceremony.

In 2002, McCutcheon presented the National Music Awards forITV1 and in 2003 she featured in her only major film role. She appeared astea-lady Natalie in theRichard Curtisromantic comedyLove Actually, where theBritish Prime Minister played byHugh Grant, falls in love with McCutcheon's character. The film received positive reviews and was a box office success. McCutcheon went to America in the wake of the film's success, but a Hollywood career did not materialise. Nevertheless, she won theMTV Movie Award for Best Trans-Atlantic Breakthrough Performer and theEmpire Award for Best Newcomer at the9th Empire Awards for her performance.

In September 2005, she appeared in two episodes of BBC drama seriesSpooks. Screened on the UK television network ITV1 in December 2005, McCutcheon appeared inThe English Harem, playing a woman in love with a Muslim man (Art Malik), who marries him, despite knowing he already has two wives. That same year, she presented and performed on ITV's entertainment programme,Moviemusic Mania. In 2007, McCutcheon was seen in two independent films,Withdrawal andJump!, as well as theAgatha Christie's Marple television series episode "At Bertram's Hotel". She was also a judge for the second series of ITV1'sSoapstar Superstar. Her appearance on the show drew criticism, with reports alleging that she was becoming a hate figure for the contestants, who were said to have found her comments relentlessly critical and at times patronising.^[34] On 8 March 2007, she performed in anArt Plus fundraising event at theWhitechapel Art Gallery oppositeNatalie Press,Samantha Morton andRhys Ifans, and in January 2008, she featured in the ITV soapEcho Beach as the character Susan Penwarden.^[35]

In September 2016, McCutcheon was announced as a panelist on the ITV daytime showLoose Women, after making a few guest appearances on the show earlier in the year.^[36]

In 2021, she competed on thesecond series ofThe Masked Singer as Swan, and was the third contestant to be unmasked.^[37]

McCutcheon released her autobiography,Who Does She Think She Is? in 2000, and in 2003Martine McCutcheon: Behind the Scenes – A Personal Diary, was published byHarperCollins. McCutcheon was one of many celebrities who featured in a 2004 promotional film for London's successfulbid for the2012 Summer Olympics. A fitness DVD,Martine McCutcheon: Dance Body, was released in December 2005.

In 2006, the supermarket chainTesco announced that they would be using McCutcheon in a series of adverts to promote a newgreen scheme for recycling used plastic carrier bags.^[38] In 2009, her first novel,The Mistress, was published by Pan MacMillan.^[39] From 2010 to 2011, she was the face onDanone's UK advertising campaign for itsActivia yogurt brand.^[40]

In July 2014, she was awarded an honorary degree by theUniversity of Bolton for her services to entertainment.^[41]

McCutcheon was engaged to DJ Gareth Cooke, but broke off the relationship in 1996.^[42] She was later in a relationship with Jonathan Barnham,^[43] by whom she became pregnant in 1999, but suffered a miscarriage in the second month.^[44][45] McCutcheon married singerJack McManus atLake Como in September 2012;^[46] the couple had been dating since 2009.^[47] On 4 February 2015, she gave birth to a son, Rafferty Jack McManus.^[48] In August 2024, McCutcheon announced that she and her husband had separated.^[49]

In 2011, McCutcheon was diagnosed withchronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and six years later also withLyme disease.^[50] On social media, she shares her experiences with flare-ups offibromyalgia and how this impacts her, such as slowing down her journey with weight loss.^[51] She also hasADHD.^[52]

In 2013, she was declared bankrupt by theKingston upon Thames County Court with creditors includingHM Revenue and Customs.^[53]

• McCutcheon, Martine (2001).Who Does She Think She Is?: My Autobiography. Martine McCutcheon with Matthew Wright. Arrow Books.ISBN 978-0-09-956918-3.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMartine McCutcheon.

• Martine McCutcheon discography atDiscogs
• Martine McCutcheon atIMDb

• 1976 births
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• 20th-century English actresses
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