Martine McCutcheon is the picture of health, with glowing skin and glossy hair, but in an exclusive chat with HELLO! the actress shared the serious health condition her mother and aunt suffer from, which she also has to watch out for.
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The 46-year-old explained that her mum and aunt were diagnosed with high cholesterol, which prompted Martine to get tested for the condition too. "The reason I got tested was because my mum and my aunt, and other members of my family, had high cholesterol" she revealed. Martine was well-informed about how to test her cholesterol, but according to research by Flora ProActiv, over three in 10 people in the UK don’t know how or where they can receive a cholesterol test - the the test can be performed in a pharmacy or by your GP, and involves a simple finger price.
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Martine was lucky that her levels were okay, but it's something she needs to constantly monitor. "My mum and aunt turned it around by exercising, using Flora ProActiv, eating lots of fruit and veg, and they managed to get their levels under control."
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The mum-of-one went on to share how she and her mum stay fit, revealing: "Neither me nor my mum have ever been gym bunnies, but we love to walk, I love to walk the dog.
"It calms your nervous system down, gets your head in a good space. I find if your head's in a good place you want to make better decisions anyway," Martine said, referring to making good choices when it comes to food and healthy living.
Martine McCutcheon's mum had high cholesterol
"I love walking in nature, I do find it's great for my mental wellbeing and it helps my breathing," Martine said, before adding; "I like to swim. I love that feeling of weightlessness and it looks after my whole body. Anybody who has any joint issues, or any problems like that, it's gentle and safe."
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"I love to stretch too, but you won't be seeing me running the marathon," she added.
Martine maintains her figure by walking and swimming
Martine has always been open about her battle with ME (a condition that makes sufferers feel exhausted) and fibromyalgia, which causes pain all over the body, and the former EastEnders star has a clever way to manage her symptoms.
"For a long time I have had cold showers, and it does make a difference to me, I'm no saint and I have the odd day where I can't face it, but I would say that majority of days I do, because the benefits feel so good, you feel like you've been WD 40'd."
Martine is always open about her health struggles
The Love Actually actress also shared she's a fan of cold swimming, saying she felt "fantastic" afterwards.
Earlier this year, Martine opened up about the fact she'd been experiencing perimenopause symptoms, and in her chat with HELLO! she praised the work of Davina McCall and Lisa Snowdon in raising awareness of menopause.
"For me, there's been no stigma about talking about menopause," she said. "Naively maybe, I didn't realise there was a stigma around menopause, because by the time I recently started talking about it, there'd been so much talk. I didn’t know there was so much talk to be done, but they've given a voice to something so natural."
Martine McCutcheon is working with Flora ProActiv to educate people in the UK on the importance of understanding and testing cholesterol levels and the simple steps they can take to manage high cholesterol through diet and exercise this National Cholesterol Month.
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