Martine McCutcheon has disclosed that she was moved to tears upon finally receiving a health diagnosis, explaining how it provided her with a « huge sense of relief ». Television viewers have known Martine since the late 1980s, particularly as Tiffany Mitchell serving behind the bar at the Queen Vic in EastEnders, before the character suffered a devastating death in 1998 under the wheels of Frank Butcher’s car.
Her additional acting work includes appearances in The Bill, Spooks and Midsomer Murders, alongside the romantic comedy film Love Actually. She also ventured into pop music, achieving chart success with tracks such as 1999’s Perfect Moment. Beyond the public eye, though, Martine was evidently struggling with a health condition.
It also affected her professional life, making her « nervous » she might not seem « organised and perfect ». She told the i Paper: « Being diagnosed with ADHD four years ago gave me huge sense of relief. I cried. I think if I’d known earlier, there would have been some things I could have enjoyed so much more.
« There were so many jobs I was so nervous about not looking organised and perfect for, that I would go overboard. I have an almost photographic memory. I could look at it [a script] and just know it. But then if they gave me a rewrite, I was completely thrown. »
ADHD describes a condition where the brain « works differently to most people », the NHS clarifies, and it is linked with challenges concentrating and remaining still.
The symptoms generally fit into three main groups: inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Signs include becoming easily distracted, finding it hard to organise your time and follow instructions, and misplacing items.
Martine has previously been candid about the difficulties she has encountered. In 2024, she admitted to being in denial following her diagnosis, which arrived while she was grieving the loss of her brother.
Her brother, Laurence John, sadly died with « no medical explanation » at the age of 31 in 2022.
Speaking on the podcast A Gentle Start: The Showercast by Timote, Martine said: « I always felt there were certain things that I looked at differently, different things I struggled with compared to other people, but different things I found so easy, and I realised, when I got my ADD diagnosis, that I had spent so much time trying to be a square in a round circle, and it was exhausting.
« It was so draining. It was just so hard. And in a way, I feel like I wasn’t meant to find out, as sad as it was, because I did lose a lot of things in my life. I did struggle with a lot of things that I don’t think I would have done necessarily. »
You can learn more about ADHD on the NHS website.
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