Martine McCutcheon shares pic of rarely seen brother as she praises him for his success despite ‘struggles’
EX-EASTENDERS star Martine McCutcheon has shared a rare pic of her brother and praised him for his success despite his "struggles".
The actress, who played Tiffany Mitchell in the BBC One soap, celebrated her younger sibling's birthday with a poignant post.
The telly icon 45, uploaded a very rare snap of LJ and expressed her pride at his strength.
Wearing a floral summer dress, the TV star can be seen smiling as she proudly wrapped her arm around her brother.
The pair lapped up the sunshine as they enjoyed an outdoor get together surrounded by balloons.
Alongside the moving photo, she wrote: "Happy 30th Birthday to my little (big) brother LJ!
"I'm so proud of all you have achieved and who you have become - Against the odds."
Martine opened up about her brother's battle with his "special needs" and his determination to lead a "normal life".
She continued: "You arrived into my world when I was 15 and I adored you from the moment I first held you.
"You've battled at times with your special needs and have had your struggles but you were always determined to live a normal life, have a good job, fall in love and get married.
"The things so many take for granted were your biggest dreams and now it's all coming true for you! I'm so thrilled for you!"
Martine's latest post comes weeks after she celebrated her own birthday, turning 45 in May.
The TV star took a trip down memory lane with some adorable throwback photos, she shared a collection of old school photographs starting from being a baby through to life as a mum herself.
Including shots of her as a baby being washed by her mum in the bath, Martine’s pictures showed her posing as a young girl in a dance costume, collecting awards, and her first professional headshots.
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She’s also seen cuddling up to her Love Actually co-star Colin Firth behind-the-scenes, and an official photo of her and Ross Kemp, who played Tiffany’s husband Grant on EastEnders.
Martine recently told The Sun that she's ready for a hot new chapter in her life and said she feels sexier than ever.
She said: “What’s amazing is looking at people like Jennifer Lopez and Helen Mirren, who are ageing and yet their careers are still going strong. They’ve got this inner glow.
“People always thought I was really confident, but it was a good act. Genuine confidence took time for me.”