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SOAP STAR TO POP STAR

EastEnders’ Tiffany Butcher star Maisie Smith speaks to Bizarre’s Dan Wootton about new singing career

The ex-EastEnders actress spoke of soap family and showcased debut heartbreak single Good Thing during Facebook live interview

SHE’S known as the cheeky child star who played Tiffany Butcher on EastEnders.

But after making her final appearance on the soap this month, 15-year-old MAISIE SMITH is now fully focused on her budding singing career.

 Eastenders actress Maisie Smith spoke exclusively to Dan Wootton yesterday
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Eastenders actress Maisie Smith spoke exclusively to Dan Wootton yesterdayCredit: Dan Jones images Ltd

, she described the devastation of saying goodbye to her screen family for good when moved out of Albert Square in 2014.

She said: “It was quite a shock because obviously I’d been on it for seven years. I’d grown up - that’s all I really remember being on EastEnders. And the day after I left I just sat at home doing absolutely nothing.”

And Maisie says leaving soap mum PATSY PALMER behind was particularly heart-wrenching.

 The Tiffany Butcher star showcased her singing skills
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The Tiffany Butcher star showcased her singing skillsCredit: Dan Jones images Ltd
 Speaking to Dan Wootton Maisie said she had left the soap for good
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Speaking to Dan Wootton Maisie said she had left the soap for goodCredit: Dan Jones images Ltd
 She said on-screen mum Patsy Palmer was 'like a second mum'
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She said on-screen mum Patsy Palmer was 'like a second mum'Credit: Dan Jones images Ltd

“Patsy was like a second mum to me and she looked exactly like my mum so a lot of the time I got confused! I’ve been to her house so much I remember after EastEnders I’d spend the weekend with her and it was just like she was part of my life and it felt so weird when I left and she wasn’t there with me all the time.”

But Maisie, who is now doing her GCSEs, said adjusting to a normal teenage lifestyle following her departure wasn’t difficult.

She said: “It didn’t feel that weird at the time because I’ve never really felt like I’ve been in the limelight. I’ve got my acting life, I’ve got my singing life and I’ve got my school life. So when I did leave, going back to school wasn’t a drastic change.”

Having wowed fans with her cover of JUSTIN BIEBER’s Let Me Love You on YouTube, Maisie now has a producer and has just launched debut single Good Thing.

Penned about a romantic relationship, it includes the lyrics: “I know what we got is worth fighting for. This love we found is what I’m looking for. We got a good thing. We got a good thing going baby.”

 She has just launched her debut single Good Thing
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She has just launched her debut single Good ThingCredit: Dan Jones images Ltd
 Maisie as young Tiffany Butcher on the soap
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Maisie as young Tiffany Butcher on the soapCredit: BBC
 Her single is inspired by a romantic relationship
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Her single is inspired by a romantic relationshipCredit: Dan Jones images Ltd
 The 15-year-old said she 'always wanted to make a cool pop record'
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The 15-year-old said she 'always wanted to make a cool pop record'Credit: Dan Jones images Ltd

She said: “I’ve always wanted to make a cool pop record that people could relate to, dance to and feel good listening to. By teaming up with my producer Darren Martyn to make Good Thing, I feel like we achieved that. I am so excited to finally let people hear it!”

But she revealed she didn’t initially intend for her singing career to escalate.

She continued: “At the time I wasn’t that amazing at singing. I just liked it. After a while I felt like I was getting more and more comfortable with my voice and from then on I was singing and writing music all the time.”

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