Martine McCutcheon: 'I can wait for babies'

Former EastEnder Martine McCutcheon wants to wait a few years before starting a family with boyfriend Jack MacManus but said she would be "over the moon" if it happened sooner.

She said she tried to keep her relationship with the musician quiet at first but was happy to "set the record straight now".

She told Hello! magazine: "Jack and I definitely want a family of our own eventually.

"Jack would do it sooner than me if he had his way."

The actress said the pair wanted to concentrate on their careers for a few years first but added: "Then again, if not and it happens sooner - well, I'd be over the moon."

The 34-year-old said she was shocked when she first found out MacManus was eight years her junior but the age gap did not bother her now.

She said: "My mum's with someone 11 years younger than her and she said 'Look, sometimes you've just got to go with what's right in your heart and what's on paper often doesn't end up adding up anyway'."

The full interview appears in Hello! which is on sale now.