Martine McCutcheon has revealed she ‘cried and cried and cried’ after being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
The actress and singer, 48, received the diagnosis after the death of her brother LJ, Laurence John, who passed away at the age of 31.
After a tough year following LJ’s tragic death, for which there was ‘no medical explanation’, Martine’s 12-year marriage to Jack McManus ended.
Speaking on the new podcast A Gentle Star: The Showercast on Wednesday, Martine revealed she had been struggling to get out of bed after LJ’s death in 2022.
It was at that time she received her ADD diagnosis, which she was in ‘complete denial’ about, as she was overwhelmed grieving for LJ and already living with ME (chronic fatigue syndrome).
Martine McCutcheon revealed on the A Gentle Start: The Showercast podcast that she ‘cried and cried and cried’ after being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
he actress and singer, 48, received the diagnosis after the death of her brother LJ, Laurence John, who passed away from an unknown cause at the age of 31
‘At first I went into I went into denial, completely into denial, because my brother had passed away,’ she said. ‘I’ve been diagnosed with ME, and I just thought, I can’t take this diagnosis on and whatever it means. I need to just keep going at life the way that I am. And in a way, I was kind of right.
‘And then when I did finally look at it, I cried, I cried, cried and cried, I grieved, and it was just for if only I’d known how different things could have been, how much more with ease I would have been able to have done things.’
Opening up about understanding her diagnosis, Martine said: ‘I always felt there were certain things that I looked at differently, different things I struggled with compared to other people, but different things I found so easy, and I realised, when I got my ADD diagnosis, that I had spent so much time trying to be a square in a round circle, and it was exhausting.
‘It was so draining. It was just so hard. And in a way, I feel like I wasn’t meant to find out, as sad as it was, because I did lose a lot of things in my life.
‘I did struggle with a lot of things that I don’t think I would have done necessarily. I think that if I’d have known before those four years ago that I had ADD, I don’t know if I would have been able to have coped with it the way that I do now.’
The actress lost brother LJ, who had a mild form of special needs, at the age of 31 at the end of 2022.
In October of that year, she told her fans to ‘hold each other extra tight’ in a reflective post.
‘A Blue sky and sunshine Saturday. Have a wonderful weekend all. Hold each other extra tight and make memories,’ she wrote at the time.
Martine had been struggling to get out of bed after her brother LJ’s death in 2022, and was later told she had the condition – which has similar symptoms as ADHD but without hyperactivity
The actress lost brother LJ, who had a mild form of special needs, at the age of 31 at the end of 2022 (Pictured in 2013)
She said the website designer had been due to get married to his fiancé Jay Eaton, 49, in a month’s time and Martine, who was going to be bridesmaid, had seen her brother just a few days before he had died.
She wrote: ‘My heart is forever broken, My baby brother, my gentle giant, sadly passed away, suddenly, 2 weeks ago. He was 31 years old.
‘There is no medical explanation as to why we lost him so soon and whilst we investigate further, we are having to accept that nothing will bring our boy back to us.
‘L.J (Laurence John) was born when I was 15 years old and from the moment I first held him in my arms, I felt so proud and fiercely protective of him. He was such a character!
‘He made us all laugh and loved nothing more than making a plan, having a great play list, bringing people together and generally having a giggle.’
Less than two years later, Martine and her ex-husband Jack split and she revealed he was the one who decided to end their marriage.
The couple married in 2012 in Italy’s picturesque Lake Como, five years after they started dating.
Martine shared the shock announcement while on a ‘much needed’ holiday in Marbella with their son and insisted that she and Rafferty will always ‘root for’ Jack going forward.
Less than two years later, Martine and her ex-husband Jack split and she revealed he was the one who decided to end their marriage (Martine last posted a picture of her and Jack in December 2023)
Martine shared the news in an Instagram post on Thursday, while on a ‘much needed’ holiday in Marbella with her son
Fans were left in disbelief by the news as it came just three weeks after she shared a gushing birthday post to Jack on August 4 and revealed he was grieving the death of his father.
The EastEnders icon penned: ‘After much thought and consideration, Jack has decided it’s best for us to separate after 18 years together and I accept his decision.’
She continued: ‘We are both so very blessed and grateful for our beautiful, 9 year old son Rafferty, who’s happiness and welfare, has always been, and will continue to be, our number 1 priority.
‘We both of course, still cherish and look forward to being parents together to our wonderful boy for the rest of our lives…
‘Whilst this decision has evolved over a period of time, we are still finding our new way forward as a family and kindly ask for some privacy at this time… Especially for our little boy.
‘Our love for Rafferty, is something that will never, waver, or change and we obviously want to protect him and help him feel as safe and secure as possible. Many thanks in advance for your respect and support, at this difficult time…
‘And I continue to send Jack, all the love, luck and happiness for the next chapter of his. Rafferty and I (as always,) are rooting for you! Thank you all, for the love and support, now and always…Martine.xx.’
You can listen to Martine’s episode of A Gentle Start: The Showercast podcast from haircare brand Timotei now via Spotify and Apple Music.
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