Martine McCutcheon opens up about recovering from severe depression and illness

Former EastEnders star Martine McCutcheon walked away from showbiz to focus on family and find happiness

We all know and love Martine, 42, as Tiff from EastEnders and potty-mouthed Natalie in Love Actually, but celeb life has been tough on the star as she has battled with ME, Lymes disease and severe depression.

Martine has opened up about how she's chosen to put her family as a priority before her career. She explained to Daily Star: "After you’ve been through what I’ve been through you learn to appreciate everything."

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The actress added: “You start to appreciate the simpler things in life… and then the career comes second. I’ve got a really nice life. It takes a lot for me to agree to be away from my family and work long hours."

Last year, Martine shocked fans by sharing her story of living through domestic abuse as a child. She said that being a mum to Rafferty, three - after suffering multiple devastating miscarriages - made her much more content with life. The star described him as "a miracle. The final piece in the jigsaw."

But things were so bad at one point that Martine reportedly felt like taking her own life. She has also previously talked about her worries about becoming a mum too late in life due to her ME.

It now looks like Martine is finding happiness and good health in her role as mum to Rafferty and her condition is said to be vastly improving. Her latest Instagram post is a snapshot of the quote: "Stay close to people who feel like sunlight."

We're sending big hugs to one of our favourite EastEnders alumni and hope she's absolutely loving motherhood.

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