Martine McCutcheon

Martine McCutcheon actress was on the brink of burnout and was about to quit showbiz for good when Richard Curtis called and offered her a role opposite ...

When I first saw Four Weddings And A Funeral it was my absolute dream to work with Hugh Grant and Richard Curtis – I fell in love with the writing and I fell in love with Hugh.” “I’m a big believer in doing things slowly and not apologising for that,” she says. “The first scene we shot was the last scene at the airport,” she reveals. “When we were at the premiere most of us were squirming in our seats. “I loved that time in my life,” says Martine. Martine played the iconic role of Tiffany Mitchell for four years before her character was killed off when she ran into a car driven by Frank Butcher, an episode watched by 22 million. “It’s when I run and jump on Hugh at the airport – I was shaking, I was so nervous. “He said, ‘Richard Curtis has called and he wants you to star opposite Hugh Grant in a film called Love Actually and it starts next week – can you fly back?’” she says. There are a lot of things that you’re not allowed to say now, but I think that in a film that covers so much emotion and so much love, you need a little bit of reality in there – it’s not always about ticking all the boxes.” There was a lot of pressure, a lot of touring and I battled with exhaustion and felt unwell. Martine tells us she’s still friends with Hugh, who turned 62 in September, and was invited to his birthday. The actress, who grew up in Hackney, east London, and rose to fame as Tiffany in