Martine McCutcheon: I don't watch EastEnders
STAR of Love Actually Martine McCutcheon has admitted she has finally met "Mr Right" - and may soon be ready to finally walk down the aisle.
The stage and screen beauty, 33, has been with toyboy singer Jack McManus, 25, for three years - after suffering several painful break-ups in the past.
And stunning Martine - who is the new face of digestive yoghurt Activia - while careful not to jinx her new-found happiness - hinted she may soon be ready to become Mrs Martine McManus.
Martine said: "I'm really happy with Jack. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, I've got no idea.
"But I do know that if I could say 'yes' would I like to one day marry him, then yes I would.
"Can I say that's definitely going to happen? Who knows? He's definitely Mr Right.
"He wants me to do whatever I want to do, and there's something about that which is really attractive.
"I am a real free spirit. I don't like to feel trapped, I've spent my life moving around, living in different places, and he lets me be that free, wild Martine.
"But he's also there for me when I'm home. We're very give and take with each other, the balance is there.
"Sometimes you have to work at that and its really hard, but what I've found with him is that it doesn't have to be, it can be easy.
"It's lovely to have that support, and my happiness is partly because of Jack because he's amazing, but it also because I have had a rollercoaster life and come through it
"It's just lovely when you find someone that makes you feel so fabulous. It's nice, and it's been a long time coming."
Martine has been hurt in the past by boyfriends who cheated on her and later sold stories about her.
But she sent a defiant message to her previous boyfriends who cruelly betrayed her.
"If they choose to do that then that's up to them, but I think it says more about them than it does about anything they write about you," she said.
"Any kind of betrayal hurts, but it's not something that I would ever let me stop loving somebody.
"The minute you stop being you is the minute they've won, and I'll never stop embracing people - I'll never stop loving people because of somebody else's actions.
"I think the good thing that's come out of all those relationships has been that I know now what I don't want, what doesn't suit me, and I know now more than ever who I am and what I want out of life.
"So as a result I'm making really good decisions."
Martine is currently in the shape of her life. Looking slim and stunning, she admits feeling better than ever - and it is no surprise that she was recently chosen to be the new face of Activia.
Despite how good she looks NOW, Martine - who recently worked with Pirates of the Caribbean star Bill Nighy, 60, on a Radio 4 play Cast in Order of Disappearance which is broadcast later this month - recognises it won't last forever.
And she admits that - as things head south - she won't rule out the possibility of surgery to perk things back up.
Martine said: "My health is really important to me and its something that I don't take for granted.
"I've had my battles with my health over the years and that's why I'm up for anything, be it the new liver and kidney drops that have come out, or the new vitamin you can try.
"I'm always looking for things like that, and looking to be the best version of myself that I can be.
"In order to be in this business, it's almost like being an athlete. You have to be on form, you have to be ready, and you're on show all the time.
"Everybody's making their opinions and their judgements and they all want a piece of you so you have to be on form.
"I think it's easy to judge women that have surgery when they're in their late 40s or early 50s, and that's easy to say for someone who's only in her early 30s, so right now I wouldn't want anything done.
"In the future, if it made me feel better, I'd try and look at other avenues first because I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat when it comes to anything to do with hospitals, but I think that if it makes you feel good then each to their own.
"For those who prefer the homeopathic, natural route, or those who want a bit of Botox, great.
"It's what suits you, and what you want to do, and it's easy for me to say 'no don't do it,' but I'm not looking in the mirror at the moment going, 'Why is my chin down by my knees.
"Once that happens, then I might be thinking about things."
The former EastEnders legend admitted she hadn't seen the soap for nearly two years - because it has too many episodes and too many characters.
The actress didn't tune in to the BBC1 soap's Christmas Day cliffhanger.
The last time she watched was to see her old pal Patsy Palmer return as Bianca Jackson in 2008.
Martine said: "Other than that I've not really seen it. I'd say the minute you do a certain amount of episodes a week, and the minute you've got loads of characters, it's hard to care about every single one for every single episode.
"When I was in it there were two episodes a week, with a Sunday omnibus.
"There were a lot fewer characters so people cared about you more, and went on your journey more.
"Now you feel there are some people in some soaps just because it fills up the time."
Her character Tiffany Mitchell - wife of Grant (Ross Kemp) - was killed on New Year's Eve 1998, in an episode that pulled in 22 MILLION viewers.
The soap's latest major show - when Archie Mitchell was murdered on Christmas Day - got just 10.9 million.
Martine, who went on to star in Love Actually and recently published her first novel The Mistress, hinted she thought the soap was suffering from not being upbeat enough.
She said: "When I was in it and all those people were watching, it was an amazing time. There were parts that were a bit dark but also quite comical, depressingly funny. With the credit crunch and everything else going on, people want a bit of escapism and a bit of fantasy.
"Maybe that's why my book is doing well. It's glamorous, and hedonistic, and I think you should be able to enjoy those things because life's tough. It's nice to indulge in those things while you can."
Martine admitted her wildest times were in EastEnders.
She said: "The craziest party I went to I don't remember coming back from!
"I loved having fun, going out, but there were far more rock 'n' roll characters around than me.
"There was some truth in the stories of drink and drugs that were going on- it was a crazy place. "But a lot of good things happened and we were really there for each other."
Why I'm face of yoghurt
Martine McCutcheon is the new face of digestive health yoghurt Activia - and here she tells us why.
She said: "I wanted to get involved because I'm a real woman's woman - I know the insecurities and I know the worries that a lot of women have about indulging in certain foods and certain drinks.
"It's common to hear women say, 'God I've just eaten something and I feel a bit bloated', and I've heard all these things you can try to sort out your digestion, but sometimes the simple things are the best, and the things that are accessible to everybody.
"They told me the concept, and told me that 60% of women experience occasional digestive discomfort yet most just put up with it.
"Activia can help reduce digestive discomfort and if we feel happier inside we'll feel happier on the outside and I just thought it's a positive thing to be involved with.
"It's an easy and delicious way to help your digestive health and you can fit it into your daily routine.
"And it's not like I'm sponsoring Jack Daniels or something that could be a bit controversial and rock and roll!"
EastEnders
DESPERATE Ian Beale washes away the evidence by throwing dead Archie's laptop into the canal.
The chip shop boss stole the computer on the night Archie was killed, and is in the frame for the murder.
But before Ian (Adam Woodyatt) dumps it, his wife Jane (Laurie Brett) finds out about the video on it of her hubby having sex with Janine. Watch the drama unfold on January 14.
Corrie
HOPEFUL Mary Taylor is all smiles as she arrives back in Weatherfield - but her former love interest Norris isn't too happy to see her.
He feels even more awkward when Tina says the pair should go on a date. Norris (Malcolm Hebden) suggests to Mary (Patti Clare) they meet in the pub, as he hopes she won't get frisky in public. Watch on January 11.
Soapwatch - Don't miss...
TOMORROW: Ronnie vows to catch Archie's killer in Enders. Corrie's Sally and Kevin agree to keep her illness a secret from their daughters.
TUESDAY: Emmerdale's Cain stuns Charity with a pricey engagement ring.
WEDNESDAY: Mercedes and Cal- vin spend time alone in Hollyoaks.
THURSDAY: Joe resorts to desperate measures to pay his debt before the Corrie wedding.
FRIDAY: Mark and Faye panic when they realise Natasha is on to them in Emmerdale. Leila gets a second shot at landing her dream job in Paris in Hollyoaks.
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