One determined lady (Who Does She Think She Is? - Martine McCutcheon)

Member Name: Karenwilson

Product:	Who Does She Think She Is? - Martine McCutcheon
Date:	13/08/01 (718 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great read

Disadvantages: None

I dedicate this book review to my good Dooyoo friend Jan Harper.

My saddest childhood memory has to be my mum and dad splitting up a week before I went to senior school. I can always remember getting dressed up in my posh new school outfit and thinking that my dad would never see me in it as he would only come and visit at the weekends.

After reading Martine McCutcheon’s autobiography on her childhood I am only too grateful as to that is the saddest childhood memory that I could think of. When this book was written she was only 24 years of age and I was staggered to read such an interesting and varied lifestyle that she had led.

She was born on 14th May 1976 in a dingy delivery room at the salvation Army Mothers’ hospital in Clapton, in the heart of the East End of London. She was named Martine Kimberley Sherrie. Her mother had, had a difficult childhood and moved out of home at the tender age of Sixteen. Martine describes her mother as a feisty sort and a very determined lady. Martine’s father is a brute called Thomas Hemmings, I say brute because what he put his own wife and child through is pretty unbelievable really. Most of Martine’s young life was spent moving from pillar to post in order to hide from her own father, but unfortunately he always managed to find them. At the start of their relationship he was nice but a bit possessive and than in turn changed to bullying and then beating. The events that are described in the book are pretty horrific. Once he found out where they lived in would come round to their house late at night, drunk and break his way in and on one occasion Martine witnessed her mother’s head being continually hit on the bathroom sink until she was unconscious. He did not even care that she witnessed such a severe beating. He also raped her mother and did other nasty acts to her. These are all described fully in the book.

After some time of this the pol
ice finally helped out by putting an emergency call button in their house but usually by the time they had arrived he had done what he had set out to do and then had left. He once held his own daughter thirty feet above the ground from her ankles and threatened to drop her if the mother did not do as he had asked.

Right from an early age Martine had a desire to be famous and loved being the centre of attention. Whilst young she loved to act in the school plays and also did some modelling work. When she was a baby she was on posters that were used to promote the Labour party at the time. However modelling jobs had to be chosen carefully, as too much publicity would mean the dad would be able to find them. Most of her school years were taken up by concentrating on her acting and dancing and after a long hard struggle her mother managed to get a charity called Reeves Foundation to pay to enrol her at the Italia Conti school and fees which at that time were £1,260 a term.

The school managed to get the children some acting work or getting them work in commercials. All was going well and they had even managed to cut ties with her father. He had previously took her mother to court to get custody of Martine, but obviously lost and also managed to be told they he was not to go near them again.

At the age of fourteen Martine spotted an ad in the “Stage and Television Today” it’s a weekly show-business newspaper. It was a music company wanting a solo singer aged sixteen. She was not old enough and managed to persuade her three older friends to go along for an audition together. After one girl dropping out of their group they became a band called “Milan”. They travelled around a lot of rough venues and produced a couple of singles and supported other groups on their tours such as East 17. Eventually the group decided to give up, as it was not all they had imagined it would be.

Her Mothers life was
looking up as she had met a lovely man called John who she later had a son with called Laurence. Martine was sixteen by now and was just about to take her GCSE’S. With her home life more settled she did well and passed nine exams.

Her first proper love was a DJ called Gareth Cooke whom she met when she was seventeen. Without any acting work and Milan had folded she was forced into working at Knickerbox of which she really hated. She decided to get herself an agent called Mark Devene and after four months he rang up telling her about the part in Eastenders.

She started work just before New Year’s Day 1995 and was a nervous wreck. By what I have read she was not that happy there for quite some time, although eventually got into the stride of things. With her work life going great her love life was not so good and eventually she broke up with Gareth as he could not cope with her new found fame. He was later to write a kiss and tell story on her.

When she talks about Eastenders she explains who she gets on with and how they have supported her. There is one person however that she did not get along with but unfortunately she would not let on who it was and I am still curious. Martine never wanted Tiffany killed off but she fell out with the producers once she found out that some other cast members were on a lot more money than she was, so they decided to kill Tiffany off.

Luckily her singing career had begun to take off and she sung at the Royal Albert Hall and eventually a more professional contract was set in place. Unlike her Milan days she was wiser and knew exactly what she wanted. Her first single was “Perfect Moment” and I remember buying it along with many others as it was at the number one spot for two weeks. Her music took her to many places and she met up with many a famous face of which she tells you in her book. She is great friends with Matt Goss from Bros. Do you remember them, b
oy were they good looking?

Her next serious relationship was with Johnthan Barnham who in the book she describes with great love and affection. Unfortunately we all know now that he did in fact become a two timing pig in the end. It appears to me that all men so far have let this pretty young girl down quite badly really. Lets hope she does meet the love of her life quite soon.

To finish off, her mother ended up marrying a man called Alan in January 2000 and luckily Martine has never seen her dad ever since. Martine is now playing the part of Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady at the West End and I must go and see that some time as I hear its really good.

I did actually forget to mention previously about her health. The book goes into details about her health and she really has been quite poorly at times. I think she does push herself maybe a bit too hard and her body suffers. Recently in the papers she was plagued with illness again and unfortunately she does seem to get a lot of stick about it.

She also gives an insight into been stalked as it has happened to her a few times and it sounded really frightening. In the book she makes a point of telling you how frightening it can be when fans chase her around as she does not know them and how they may react. She quotes “Don’t wind people like me up by following us. It’s dangerous. Right. Enough said”.

I know I have gone into details about this book but don’t let it put you off buying it now, as they are many areas that I have skipped especially which famous people she is great friends with and the places they hang out.

ENJOY

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