Martine McCutcheon felt like she was “losing her mind” before she started taking the groundbreaking hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

The former EastEnders star, who rose to fame playing Tiffany Mitchell in the BBC soap EastEnders from 1995 to 1998 before playing Hugh Grant’s lover in the 2003 romantic comedy classic Love Actually, has now spoken openly about the change and thanked Davina McCall and Dr Naomi Potter for supporting other women going through the menopause.

In a post on her Instagram story, she wrote: “This has been a game changer for me, there are still some adjustments and tweaks to be made.”

“I was really lucky to have the force of nature that is Davina (McCall) to guide me and Naomi Potter is a godsend for women going through this time.

“When we are all losing our minds, this lady remains calm, composed and handles the whole situation very wisely.”

Martine also announced that she is preparing for her comeback as an actress.

She added: “I’m shooting a film with John Cleese in Budapest, Hungary this year, in which I play a very small role of an ex-ballerina. I’m also starting to look at other things.”

Martine has suffered from a number of illnesses over the years, including Lyme disease, depression and myalgic encephalopathy (ME). She previously admitted that after years of battling illness, she appreciates “the simpler things in life”.

The 46-year-old actress is also no longer too worried about her career because she is fully focused on making the most of her life.

She said: “After going through what I went through, you learn to appreciate everything. You start to appreciate the simpler things in life… and then your career comes second. I get offers for TV shows and films, but often they are things that are not special enough or that I don’t think I can contribute to.”