Martine McCutcheon only joined 'EastEnders' because she "needed the money."
Martine McCutcheon
The 41-year-old actress portrayed Tiffany Mitchell in the long-running soap for four years before she was dramatically killed off on New Year's Eve in 1998, but she has admitted she only took the job because she was in desperate need of some cash.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror newspaper, she said: "When I joined 'EastEnders', soaps were not at all considered highbrow but I took the job because I needed the money."
And, although she initially only jumped on board the show to improve her financial situation, the brunette beauty hated the way she was told her alter ego was being written out, and has revealed it still burns her to this day - almost 20 years on.
She explained: "As an actress you never take for granted that you are going to be in a job for more than two minutes, but it was the way I was told.
"Other cast members were like: 'I cannot believe you didn't tell us.' And I was like: 'No I'm embarrassed.' It was the way it was done. At any time they can get rid of you. Nobody is the star if that show, the show is the star."
But Martine - who is now a panellist on 'Loose Women' - is glad she got out when she did because it allowed her to make a name for herself in other sectors of showbiz.
She added to the publication: "I thank my lucky stars I made a name for myself. I went on to do other things and the audience followed me."
The future of the popular soap is currently up in the air after show boss Sean O'Connor - who took over from fan favourite Dominic Treadwell-Collins in the spring of 2016 - quit last month following a dramatic dip in ratings after he decided to kill off sisters Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell (played by Samantha Womack and Rita Simons) earlier this year.
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