Biography

Martine McCutcheon, born Martine Kimberley Sherrie Ponting on 14 May 1976, is an actress, singer, and television personality from England. She gained recognition for her role as Mandy in the TV show Bluebirds in 1989. McCutcheon was also part of the pop group Milan in the early 1990s, but her breakthrough came with her portrayal of Tiffany Mitchell in the BBC's EastEnders and her role in the popular 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually. She won the 1997 National Television Award for her work in EastEnders and received the 2004 Empire Award and MTV Movie Award for Love Actually. After leaving EastEnders in 1998, McCutcheon pursued a solo pop career. Her debut album You Me & Us (1999) reached No. 2 in the UK and went platinum, featuring the UK No. 1 single "Perfect Moment" and two other top 10 hits. Her second album, Wishing (2000), had less success, reaching No. 25 but still producing two top 10 singles and achieving gold certification. However, her third album, Musicality (2002), received poor reception, peaking at No. 55 in the UK and earning a silver certification, causing her pop career to stall. Since then, McCutcheon has appeared in various television programs, films, and stage productions. Her portrayal of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady earned her a Laurence Olivier Award in 2002. She released her autobiography, Who Does She Think She Is?, in 2000. In 2017, McCutcheon made a comeback in music with her album Lost and Found, which reached No. 17 in the UK, becoming her highest-charting album since her debut.