Martine McCutcheon has transformed herself into our very own festive fairy for the second day of HELLO!'s Celebrity Christmas Advent Calendar, raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity and sharing her favourite seasonal traditions with us.
Top of Santa's List, says the talented actress and singer, is a stocking! Every year she has to have one, "even though I'm now 40 years old!" Martine laughed in her Christmas message. "My mum said to me, 'Listen, you've got a son now, do you really want a stocking?' I went, 'Er yeah, definitely!'"
The ex-EastEnder is mum to 22-month-old Rafferty with her husband, singer Jack McManus, but is determined to retain her sense of excitement throughout the Christmas season. "One of our family's Christmas traditions is that we all open a present at midnight," she said. "We're basically big kids, too impatient to wait until the morning. It's just what we do every year."
Martine McCutcheon is HELLO!'s Christmas fairy
The accomplished singer, who reached Number 1 with her single Perfect Moment in 1999, says that her festive entertainment is already set up. "My favourite Christmas song would probably be Oh Holy Night. I love the way it's written…" she said. "It really gives me goose-bumps. For me it's what Christmas is all about."
"TV-wise, you can't have Christmas without Only Fools and Horses in our house," she added. "It's got to be done. It's a true, Brit guilty pleasure."
For many of us, it's Martine's own Christmas classic Love Actually that will be hitting our screens over the holidays, and she hopes the spirit of the season will encourage fans to feel generous and support Great Ormond Street Hospital's Children's Charity as part of HELLO!'s campaign to help families stay together at Christmas.
"For anybody that would like to think of others this Christmas, which hopefully we all do, it's a great idea to donate to GOSH, and spread some cheer to some children who desperately need it," she appeals in her video.
The actress always has a stocking every year
And we hope that you will join Martine and HELLO! by supporting this very worthy cause. We all like to be with our loved ones this time of year. For the families of patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital, this is especially true.
With your support, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity could help fund family accommodation so mums, dads, brothers and sisters can stay close by, or help fund the creation of bigger rooms in new hospital wards so parents of the most seriously ill children can stay by their bedside 24 hours a day.
The charity also funds play specialists so that children can enjoy some festive fun despite going through very difficult times, in addition to research and equipment that will enable the hospital to find new cures and save more lives.
Love Actually is a classic Christmas favourite
Every donation to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity will help keep families together this Christmas.
Make a donation online, or by texting FIVE to 70111*
And be sure to check back tomorrow to find out which of our wonderful celebs will be popping out from behind door number three!
*Texts cost £5 plus your standard network rate. Please ask the bill payer's permission. Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity will receive 100% of your gift. We may contact you to tell you more about our work; if you would prefer we didn't text NOCALL GOSH to 78866. Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity. Registered charity no. 1160024
