Martine McCutcheon has opened up about the body shaming she endured as a young actress, saying people spoke about her as though she was "a piece of meat" and she is now "bored of the weight loss rollercoaster".
The former EastEnders actress, who also starred opposite Hugh Grant in Love Actually in a role which poked fun at comments about her weight, said it took a long time to deal with the criticism she received.
"I was always conscious of staying as thin as I could be. It looked better on camera, meant I could fit into size 8 samples sizes, and it was easier and more affordable with stylists. It was so nice to be sent a dress that actually fit," she told The Mirror.
She added: "Growing up in the public eye, you are judged by everybody and you work hard to try to keep everyone happy. Now I don't care what people think."
She said that the "hundreds" of derogatory comments made about her body stayed with her, but she doesn't let them get to her any more.
"People spoke about me like I was a piece of meat and I can't believe that's still going on in this day and age. I'm sure people still say horrible things now, but it's water off a duck's back because I have an anchor within myself. But it's so dangerous when you are younger," McCutcheon said.
"I am who I want to be, and most importantly the weight I want to be when I want to be it. If I choose to be a size 10 or a size 16, it's my choice. Women's weight fluctuates, and the constant comments on size are boring.
"We're bright women, intelligent and more savvy than ever, and I think more than ever we should have each other's back and move on."
The actress has released a plus-size clothing line for Fashion World and said she became more accepting of her body after she became a mother to her son Rafferty, one, "Getting pregnant and having Rafferty made me realise my priority now is to be healthy and stay that way rather than try to stick to something I could never maintain. I am so bored of the weight loss rollercoaster."
