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Martine Ponting was born on May 14th, 1976, in Hackney, a borough in London's East End. Jenny, her mother, was an unwed teenager and her father, Thomas, was an alcoholic market trader. It wouldn't have been so bad if Thomas didn't resort to domestic violence. The police had to make frequent visits to their home and Jenny took her 2-year-old daughter away as they fled Thomas.

But the man sometimes tracked them down and threatened Jenny and daughter Martine. Along the way, Jenny met John McCutcheon and together they raised Martine, who took her stepfather's last name. When she was 9, a judge formally denied Thomas parental visits.

martine dreams of my fair lady

During their frightened moments, Jenny and Martine found solace in watching old musicals like My Fair Lady. Martine knew from the start that she was destined to be an entertainer. And she had an early start: when she was only 6 weeks old, she was on television for the first time in a Party Political Broadcast.

At age 4, Martine had ventured into the world of advertising and appeared in commercials for Pears soap and Kool-Aid. When she was 10 years old, she wanted to perfect her acting skills at the Italia Conti drama school.

But now she had two siblings, L.J. and Isla, which made the budget rather tight. The family couldn't afford to send Martine to this prestigious London establishment, so she took it upon herself to write letters to various charities.

martine mccutcheon on bluebirds

After having sent over 200 requests, she finally received a scholarship from the Church of England. Martine was a passionate student who wanted to learn everything the school had to offer. At the same time, she continued to appear on several billboard ads. In 1989, McCutcheon secured a role on the British children's series, Bluebirds.

Two years later, Martine became interested in music, adding to her passion for performing. She was chosen to front Milan, an all-girl rock band, and they toured with bands such as East 17. The group disbanded in 1994, but before its demise, Martine appeared in Enya's video for "Caribbean Blue" in 1991, portraying a fairy.

mccutcheon is tiffany on eastenders

But the move that would forever change her career came in 1995, when Martine McCutcheon auditioned for a part on the popular BBC soap opera, EastEnders. She landed the role of Tiffany Raymond and became one of the most popular characters on the long-running drama. This character won her a National Television Award in 1997 (for Most Popular Actress) and a British Soap Award in 1999, for a storyline that concerned her character.

Still, Martine had a soft spot for music and in 1997, she was invited to sing at the "Children In Need" telethon on the BBC. Subsequently, she was invited to perform with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall for a charity event.

Knowing that this was her moment to shine, she personally contacted all major record labels to tell them that she would be singing. After performing songs such as "Cabaret" and "Don't Rain On My Parade," the record companies were falling over themselves to sign McCutcheon. Eventually, it was Virgin's Innocent Records that secured the talented brunette with a $3 million (US) contract.

martine's perfect moment

After leaving EastEnders in 1998, she released her first single, "Perfect Moment," which went all the way to No. 1 in Britain and reached platinum status. Following another smash hit with "I've Got You," Martine released her first album, You, Me & Us, in 1999.

In 2000, she appeared in her first feature film, Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang), an unremarkable independent black comedy starring Sean Penn's brother Chris. That same year, her second album, Wishing, was released, as was Martine: Who Does She Think She Is?, McCutcheon's autobiography.

In 2001, McCutcheon was offered the role she had dreamed of her entire life -- Eliza Doolittle, in the West End revival of My Fair Lady. However, she caught a virus and strained her voice, forcing her to give up the role on many occasions.

Nevertheless, she received an Oliver Award (the British version of the Tony) for her performance. The following year, her third album, Musicality, was released. It featured songs from popular musicals but it wasn't as successful as her previous efforts.

love actually for martine

In 2003, HarperCollins offered Martine a lucrative contract to publish a second autobiography, Martine McCutcheon: Behind the Scenes -- A Personal Diary, dealing with her years in the spotlight. In the meantime, Richard Curtis offered her a role specifically written for her in the ensemble romantic comedy, Love Actually (2003), with fellow Brits Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley and Emma Thompson.

On the romantic front, McCutcheon has had rocky relationships with Jonathan Barnham, Gareth Cooke, and actor John Sheppard. Since December 2002, she's been in a stable relationship with property developer James Tanner.