Martine McCutcheon

Not many ex soap stars actually make the leap into the music business successfully. Adam Ricketts and a couple of others spring to mind but most are no more than one hit wonders. This makes Martine McCutcheon's elevation to her current level of 'serious' singer even more astounding. Not only is she able to pump out the populist tracks but she is obviously quite capable of more cerebral numbers as well. At 24 she has just published her autobiography (albeit with the acknowledged rewriting of her ghost writer) Who Does She Think She Is? (Century Publishing) which details her turbulent childhood, desperate need for stardom and balancing act needed to stay on top.
Born in Hackney, East London, Martine's violent father left when she was a baby and her impoverished Mother struggled on. However, he regularly returns to invade her life and cause trouble. Once asked if she had a single nice memory of him, Martine said flatly no. Such was his disruption of their lives that her mother had to have a panic button installed and wired to the local police station. Her mother's continual badgering of charities eventually meant Martine got a grant to attend stage school and, at 10, attended the famous Italia Conti School where she developed a label queen mentality aspiring to the baubles sported by her classmates' parents.
She pounded the well worn path of many wannabes and toured the club circuit as part of a girl group. A spell working behind the counter at Knickerbox at Lakeside was interrupted when she got a small temporary part in Eastenders. She stayed for 3 years until the Perfect Moment record deal came up.
Martine professes to being totally unlike Tiffany 'Tiffany was based on me Mum. That's how I knew her really well but I knew she wasn't me' Losing her virginity at the, late for some, age of 17, Martine has only had two serious relationships. Looking at her childhood and the appalling behaviour of her father she is, understandably, wary of men but still seems to be attracted to roughs (shades of Sam Fox). Her current beau, Jonathon Barnham, is awaiting trial on cannabis smuggling charges. 'Between careers', Barnham is seen by many as a gold-digger but Martine, who put up £75k bail money for him, stands by him.
But what is next for the East End sparrow who is showing definite signs of following in screen mum-in-law Peggy Mitchell's (Barbara Windsor) footsteps? A guest role in The Knock and the release of her first film next year will coincide with her much trumpeted role as Eliza Doolittle in Trevor Nunn's My Fair Lady. Unconventionally she will be a natural cockney schooled to appear posh, exactly as the role reads.
Reading her book you get the impression that beneath all the phlegmatic, shrewd and controlling woman she appears to be is a very insecure little girl balancing a tight rope very much in the mould of Marilyn Monroe.

Who Does She Think She Is? Published by Century £16.99
First published on Gay UK Net
© Paul Towers 15/11/2000