A modest teacher told how she felt humbled by the glowing tributes heaped on her by top actress and singer Martine McCutcheon.

Martine has revealed how Anne Smith, deputy head of Thorpedene School, Shoebury, first showed faith in her abilities and kept her on the straight and narrow during a troubled childhood.

Chart-topping singer Martine, 23, originally leapt to fame as Tiffany in EastEnders and is about to star as Eliza Doolittle in a new production of My Fair Lady, but it was Anne who first spotted her potential.

She said: "Martine was a one-off. She had such talent it would have been criminal not to have helped her."

Anne also supported the young Martine through the childhood terror of witnessing violence at home. But even now the loyal teacher will not talk about Martine's personal difficulties.

Instead it was Martine who told a national newspaper: "She understood kids, understood that all kids are different with different talents and different problems and that sometimes they come from very sad backgrounds.

"I was one of those kids. I remember her being so loved and I'd not really known a teacher to be loved like that, and I mean really, really loved."

It all began when seven-year-old Martine joined the first year of the junior school in Hackney, East London, where Ann was a teacher.

Ann said: "I thought she had something special. She was in my choir. I'd heard someone say that this little one had something about her voice. It had a particular quality a music teacher would spot. I just tried all I could to help her."

As a music specialist, Ann wrote Christmas shows - and there was always a leading role for Martine.

She played a donkey in one production called The Night the Pictures Talked - a show set in an art gallery where scenes from the Christmas story came alive.

Martine sang a song called Mary's Lullaby, which she performed again around nine years later at Thorpedene School carol service in Thorpe Bay Baptist Church.

Ann, who had by then become Thorpedene deputy head, invited her specially to make a guest appearance there. She stayed for the weekend and they went shopping in the Royals shopping centre in Southend.

Meanwhile Martine had got in to the Italia Conti stage school in London - again helped by Ann who coached her on her audition pieces. One of these was Wouldn't It Be Luvverly - which Martine will sing again in My Fair Lady.

Describing the singing lessons she gave Martine, Ann said: "She would work for hours until it was right. We had a little joke between us, and however good she was, I always said 'Not bad, Martine'."

Ann watched every episode of EastEnders when Martine was on and met cast members at her 21st party in London. She also saw her star at the Royal Albert Hall, and said: "I'm so proud of her."

Martine added: "Miss Smith was the person who had such complete and utter faith in me from the very beginning. And she's still there for me. She's like my backbone, always there supporting me."

Star pupil - teacher Anne Smith with a picture of Martine McCutcheon

PIcture: ANDY PALMER

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