Martine McCutcheon admits she would have returned to 'EastEnders' had her character not been killed off.
The former soap star claims she would have made a Walford comeback as Tiffany Mitchell had producers let her live, but it's a "blessing" that the character met her demise as she has been able to explore her other passions.
Martine - who scored a number one single with 'Perfect Moment' after leaving 'EastEnders' - said: "When I left I felt really exposed, so I do look back and go, 'Oh, why did they kill Tiffany off?' I felt so blessed to play such an amazing part and it wasn't my decision for it to end.
"I think I probably would have gone back. I would have panicked. I think the fact that I was thrown out there to sink or swim was actually a blessing, because I would never have got to work with the people that I worked with, or won an Olivier or had a number one or any of that.
"I would never have had those dreams come true, I would have been ticking along still playing Tiffany and never knowing about that whole world out there."
The 37-year-old star - who played Tiffany from 1995 to 1998 - says 'EastEnders' was the hardest job she's ever had but she enjoyed the camaraderie with the cast and crew.
She added to Digital Spy: "It was an unbelievably hard schedule; we were doing 22 scenes a day. It was the best training I ever had, and it is the most fun job because you do have your own little family there."
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