Martine McCutcheon has spoken candidly about her ageing skin.
The Love Actually star, 49, took to Instagram to shed light on her evolving image and confessed she was left ‘concerned and lacking confidence’ with her skin.
The actress, who shot to fame on EastEnders in 1994, detailed how she was left ‘bamboozled’ by the online market for products to help with her appearance before she discovered Elavate Collagen – a supplement in hot chocolate form.
Speaking about how her confidence was affected, Martine said: ‘About 18 months ago something was happening with my skin that really concerned me. It concerned me because I felt like, doing what I do for a living…
‘Being so lucky to work with so many beauticians and make-up artists and everything else, I felt like I knew everything I needed to prevent that as much as possible…
Martine McCutcheon has spoken candidly about her ageing skin
Martine shot to fame in 1994 on EastEnders (pictured in 1999)
‘I have no problem with getting older and ageing to a degree but it was starting to affect me where it was affecting my confidence because I just looked really tired all the time and it was getting harder to just look fresh.’
Martine admitted she was not aware of the magnitude of how skin can change with age, with collagen production plumetting from the age of just 25.
She went on: ‘I was just astonished really because it’s something that is so simple and is something that is saturating the market as well and it’s because there’s so much noise around it all that I didn’t here it and that annoyed me, really…
‘So in short I realised that from the age of 25 you start to lose 1% of your collagen…
‘I didn’t realise that it happened that young because obviously when you’re young you don’t notice it. but then when you get to perimenopause age, you can use 30% of your collagen and that is why you literally sometimes wake up one day and go oh my god ive aged 10 years overnight.’
Martine is mother to 10-year-old son Rafferty with ex-husband Jack McManus. The couple split last year after 13 years of marriage.
Speaking about how her confidence was affected, Martine said: ‘About 18 months ago something was happening with my skin that really concerned me. It concerned me because I felt like, doing what I do for a living’
In September, Martine sent temperatures soaring as she shared a racy topless throwback snap to her Instagram Story. She looked sensational as she wore nothing but a pair of high-waisted black bottoms, covering her modesty with her phone
She admitted life as a mother has also impacted her skin, saying: ‘So mix that with working, being a mum, multitasking, the stress an strains of life it takes its toll…
‘So I just thought hold on I can just get a collagen supplement right? Wrong, because when I looked online everyone had an opinion on it…
‘Oh you want that type, oh you don’t want that type. I just felt bamboozled. I wanted to gfeelk like myself again. And then a friend of mine in the industry who looks so good and so well. said to mne that elevate had their own kind of collagen, where it had everything you needed in a hot chocolate drink.’
She added a caption on the video reading: ‘About 18 months ago I noticed my skin was losing that bounce and I couldn’t understand why it was happening so suddenly…
‘After doing my own research, I discovered we lose over 30% of our collagen in just the first 5 years of menopause! It finally made sense.
‘I was skeptical about collagen at first but a friend recommended Elavate’s Multi-Collagen Superblend and I’m so glad I gave it a go…
‘I’ve been using it for a few months now and my skin has started to get that bounce back. It’s become this lovely evening ritual and I genuinely feel like myself again!’
Martine endured a very public split from husband Jack McManus, 41, with whom she shares a ten-year-old son, in October 2024
In September, Martine sent temperatures soaring as she shared a racy topless throwback snap to her Instagram. She looked sensational as she wore nothing but a pair of high-waisted black bottoms, covering her modesty with her phone.
Flaunting her bottom as she leaned against a wall, Martine captioned the sizzling throwback snap: ‘Take me back to the sun and sea… This lady needs her Vitamin D!’
Martine announced she had split from her singer husband Jack, 41, in October 2024 and 11 months later, Daily Mail revealed that Martine was declared bankrupt.
The actress, who appeared in the popular Christmas movie Love Actually, filed a petition for her insolvency over a debt to a finance company, official public records revealed at the time.
