Imagine a world or, more specifically, an EastEnders without Martine McCutcheon’s sweetheart character, Tiffany Mitchell?

Well, if Martine’s recent interview with iNews is anything to go by, that world was very nearly a reality if not for one fact: her agent gave her a harsh reality check over the state of her bank account!

‘When I was offered EastEnders I really didn’t want to do it – not because it wasn’t a great job, it just wasn’t the right job for me,’ Martine said.

‘It was based in reality and it was everything that I was trying to get away from.

‘My agent said to me, ‘Look, you’re broke, you’re working in a shop earning hardly anything, go for it and then if you get it, you get it, and if you don’t, then don’t worry about it. It’ll be a great experience.’ They were right.’

They totally were! Through Tiffany, Martine became the nation’s sweetheart, with her ‘Enders role propelling her into the stratosphere. It also, however, brought her an intense amount of fame:

‘The scariest kind of fame I’ve experienced was definitely being a soap star,’ Martine said.

‘Even though I’ve done things since that are seen to be bigger or more credible, nothing prepared me for the attention and press I received when I was in EastEnders.

‘Tiffany was so relatable to people that they felt like they could just come up and hug you in the street. They felt like they knew you.’

Who was Tiffany Mitchell?

Beloved Tiff’ was introduced as a school friend of Walford royalty Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), though she did step out of her flame-haired friends shadow and became an integral character on her own merit.

Tiffany was mostly known for her fractious and abusive relationship with Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp). After a one night stand, Tiffany discovered she was pregnant, not knowing if Grant was the daddy or her boyfriend, Tony Hills (Mark Homer).