Former EastEnders star Martine McCutcheon has talked about returning to the soap as her much-loved character Tiffany Mitchell, twenty four years since her emotional exit on New Year's Eve in 1998.
Martine played fan-favourite EastEnders barmaid Tiffany Mitchell and first stepped onto the Square to visit her best friend Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) in 1995.
After getting herself a job at The Queen Vic, Tiffany began a relationship with Walford hardman and pub landlord Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and they got married within the same year.
The couple had a turbulent marriage and her final moments saw her hysterically chasing after Grant who had snatched their daughter Courtney. During the ordeal, she was tragically killed after being hit by a car driven by Frank Butcher (Mike Reid).
Talking to The Mirror, Martine revealed whether she would return to Walford after Tiff's heartbreaking death in 1998. After all, it's not a first in the soap world for characters to come back from the dead!
She said: “She went out with a bang — literally. If you’re gonna go, that’s the way. If I went back now, it just wouldn’t be the same. I had the time I was meant to have.”
4 years after Tiffany's death, Bianca named her daughter Tiffany Butcher (Maisie Smith) in tribute to her best friend.
Since her iconic soap appearance, Martine has starred in a number of film and TV shows, with one of her most notable roles being in the hit romcom Love Actually as Natalie, the tea lady who Prime Minister David (Hugh Grant) falls in love with and Martine has also gone on to have a successful music career.
Despite ruling out her EastEnders return, her former on-screen husband Ross Kemp has previously teased his return to the soap as the legendary Grant Mitchell.
"You never say never in this game. Never say never. Rule out nothing. Rule out nothing at my age," he said on The One Show in March 2022.
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.
