Martine McCutcheon received an outpouring of support on Tuesday when she shared a candid health update detailing her latest "flare-up."
Taking to Instagram, the 47-year-old actress posted a gorgeous video of herself soaking up the sun in Mallorca. In the clip, Martine looked fabulous in a chic navy polka-dot midi dress which she paired with some oversized tortoiseshell sunglasses, a dainty silver necklace, bronze flip flops and a tan raffia bag.
She wore her chestnut tresses down loose and elevated her summer-ready ensemble with a touch of rosy makeup. Sublime!
Elsewhere in the video update, Martine shared a glimpse of her adorable son Rafferty. The youngster appeared to be in his element as he bashfully attempted to climb a nearby tree close to the ocean.
Whilst the former EastEnders actress appeared to be relishing her family getaway, Martine was quick to detail her latest health flare-up.
In her caption, she penned: "Mallorca life. Love it. [sea, sun and sunglasses emoji] Had a big flare-up of my CFS lately and the travel was tough but waking up in the sunshine, feeling the hot heat soothe your aches and pains along with a warm gentle warm breeze is just heaven!"
She continued: "Are you guys going anywhere this summer? Sending you all lots of love! X Dress @dorothyperkins Bag @dragon.diffusion Glasses @chloe #sandals @asos #holiday #summer #mallorca #loveithere #niceandeasydoesit."
Martine's loyal fanbase was quick to share messages of support, with one writing: "I'm sorry you have CFS, but it's great that you are speaking about it on your platform," whilst a second chimed in: "I'm so glad you talk about CFS I have it too and it's lovely to hear from someone in the public eye say they have it and I’m so glad you got to enjoy the rest of your holiday."
A third noted: "Flare-ups are the pitts - I had one recently. Sunshine, rest and family is a wonderful balm to restore," and a fourth sweetly added: "Beautiful… Hope you're ok, as I totally understand having been there myself. You look lovely," followed by a heart-eye emoji.
This isn't the first time Martine has spoken openly about her health struggles. Back in December 2021, the star spoke exclusively to HELLO! magazine about how she's learnt to cope with the debilitating side effects of her illnesses.
"I'm coping really well, like a lot of people out there, my disease is invisible, and it can make you feel unsupported or misunderstood," she said.
"It can make you tired and it can be unpredictable, which I hate as I love routine and being reliable. But in a way, I look at it as my friend now rather than my foe."
The Echo Beach actress added: "I look at it that when I get symptoms or when my body starts clanging, it's a sign for me to pace myself, rest.
"And I think it gives me that when somebody else would just logically think, 'Oh, I need to just take a rest', mentally, I don't do that, so my body does it for me. So, yeah, I've definitely learned to look at it as a good messenger rather than something that simply gets in the way."
What is CFS?
Myalgic encephalomyelitis, also called chronic fatigue syndrome or ME/CFS, is a long-term condition with a wide range of symptoms. The most common symptom is extreme tiredness.
According to the NHS website, ME/CFS can affect anyone, including children. It tends to be more common in women, and usually develops between your mid-20s and mid-40s.