Maisie Smithhas been on TV screens since she was teeny tiny, playing the character of Tiffany Butcher-Baker for 13 years.
Now all grown-up, the EastEnders star has now opened up about the insecurities she has faced with her body over the years.
The actress, who appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2020, has revealed that she has learned to accept herself, but it wasn’t easy.
Speaking to Fabulous magazine, Maisie opened up about her battle with body image and how she would hide her legs whenever she was out.
She honestly revealed, ‘Strictly was a game-changer for me. I’ve always hated my legs and my cellulite. When I was at school, I was the only one who had it. When I went to parties I wouldn’t get my legs out. I would wear trousers all summer.
‘It wasn’t until I did Strictly last year and they literally said: ‘You have got to wear a leotard.’ I was shoved in the deep end and it helped me, because I completely faced my fears straight on.’
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Maisie also spoke about how she related to her EastEnders character’s storyline about dabbling with lip fillers and how she has struggled with body image growing up on social media.
She said, ‘I feel pressure all the time. As a teenage girl heavily active on social media, I’ve definitely felt the same [as Tiffany]. I’ve experienced a lot of body-image hatred – not from anyone else, but from me. I put a lot of pressure on myself to look a certain way…
‘I enjoyed that story line, because I completely related to it. I have felt that exact way before, so it was nice to address it. You can think someone’s beautiful, but they don’t see it.’
Maisie is currently ‘unemployed’ after bowing out of the BBC soap earlier this month.
EastEnders fans watched her character Tiffany wait a the tube station for estranged husband Keegan Baker, who never showed up. Tiffany has now officially left Walford to start a new life in Germany.
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Taking to Instagram to say goodbye to her time in the soap, the actress wrote, “Wow. EastEnders you have been a dream ❤️ lotta tears, lotta laughs and a whole lotta love. Episode 685 complete. Farewell Tiffany Butcher-Baker.”
The beloved character has been been at the centre of many big storylines over the years. From her close relationship with her older sister Whitney Dean, to being groomed by the evil Evie Steele and her turbulent relationship and later marriage to Keegan Baker.