British television’s sexiest woman, Tamzin Outhwaite, is to quit her starring role in top BBC soap EastEnders. But unlike her co-star and on-screen husband Martin Kemp who recently moved to rival station ITV, the 30-year-old actress has been wooed by the Beeb to stay with the station in a golden handshake deal said to be worth £2 million.
Tamzin, who plays Albert Square babe Melanie, says she feels she has taken her role as the husky voiced man-magnet as far as it can go, and is worried about being typecast as a blonde femme fatale. “I’ve loved my time at EastEnders, but now I’m ready to face new challenges,” she announced.
The love interest of half the male cast, Mel, who joined the show three years ago, has stumbled from one relationship to another. She married Ian Beale only to betray him with Steve Owen whom she eventually married after a couple of flings with bad guy Dan Sullivan and Phil Mitchell. And according to a friend the attractive blonde star feels: “There are only so many times she can get hitched and have a furious bust up and fall into bed with someone else.”
Over the summer Tamzin took two months out from the soap to make the BBC production Red Cap in which she plays a Special Investigation Branch officer. Channel chiefs were hoping the break would result in their top star returning with added zest to her EastEnders role, but Tamzin relished the challenge of something new and decided to make the break permanent.
The new deal with the Beeb will involve a string of prime-time dramas and the powers that be appear to be grooming her for the role of face of the channel. “She’s one of our brightest stars and has a fantastic future with the BBC,” said an insider.
Producers of the soap plan to tie-in the departures of on-screen couple Martin Kemp and Tamzin in a high-profile story line that will see the popular stars go out with a bang. The door to the square’s famous local, the Queen Vic, won’t be completely closed to character Mel, however. “No doubt she may take on the mantle of Mel in the future as we’d welcome her return at any time,” said EastEnders chief John Yorke.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
