Actress Martine McCutcheon has been declared bankrupt, it’s been reported, less than a year after her husband Jack McManus called it quits on their marriage.
The former EastEnders actress announced her split from Jack last August. At the time she shared a statement and said: “After much thought and consideration, Jack has decided it’s best for us to separate after 18 years together and I accept his decision.”
Martine, 49, shares son Rafferty, nine, with her ex.
Martine McCutcheon sells family home
After the split, the couple put their marital home on the market for £1.5m. Before Christmas, the price of the house was dropped to £1.25 million amid claims the couple were “pushing” to sell it. It is said to have sold for £1.35m in May.
Now Martine has been hit with a further cash blow, with reports today (July 19) that she’s been declared bankrupt.
According to the Mail, documents show that Martine filed a petition for her insolvency over a debt to a finance company.
Bankruptcy and company wound up
It was issued in March at the County Court in Guildford, Surrey following a petition filed by a company called LDF Finance, to whom she owed an unspecified sum of money.
As well as that, her company Raven Music Ltd was also wound up last month at the request of HMRC due to unpaid tax bills, it’s claimed.
The most recent accounts for the company reveal that it owed more than £175,000 to the taxman, payable in the 12-month period after February 2022.
Second bankruptcy
This is the second time the actress has been declared bankrupt. She was first made bankrupt in 2013.
It’s now thought Martine – who described her marriage break-up as “brutal” – has downsized and lives in a three-bedroom rented Victorian terraced home in Surrey.
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‘She is an absolute nightmare’
Unfortunately for Martine, she has since been slammed in the press by MailOnline journalist Grant Tucker.
The writer insisted the news of a second bankruptcy didn’t come as a surprise to those who know her.
“A common refrain when you speak to Martine’s associates – people who have worked with her, and even her friends – is: ‘She’s lovely, but…'”
“What follows is usually a variation of ‘a bit much’, ‘a lot to handle’, and most damning of all ‘an absolute nightmare’,” he continued.
Grant insisted Martine has “struggled to get work in recent years” and that “there is very little sympathy for her”.
One former reportedly colleague said: “She is the type of person you would happily have a drink with, but would hate to work with. She can be very demanding and difficult, and she is someone that doesn’t pay her bills on time.”
Grant said that if you look at her career path, she has done “one big theatre job”, “one big film”, and “one big TV show”. However, he noted that she “she doesn’t get asked back”.
In recent years, Martine has kept a fairly low profile. In 2021, she appeared on The Masked Singer as Swan. Her last movie role was in 2018 for The Bromley Boys.
Martine also pursued a music career following EastEnders. Her last album, Lost and Found, was released in 2017.
ED! has contacted Martine’s reps for comment.
‘I needed this’
The actress hasn’t yet commented on the reports. Her last Instagram grid post was five weeks ago.
Back in June, she shared that she’d enjoyed a day out with Rafferty on the river at Hampton Court. She captioned it: “Wow… I needed this more than even I thought!”
The popular star’s money troubles only add to her heartache. As well as her break-up, the star also lost her brother suddenly in 2022, and was recently diagnosed with ADHD. She also suffers from chronic illness ME.
Read more: Martine McCutcheon’s marriage issues ‘revealed’ as star ‘stunned’ by split
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