Martine McCutcheon reveals her childhood abuse

Actress Martine McCutcheon has spoken for the first time about her violent father and the abuse she suffered as a child.

The Echo Beach star and her mum talked on GMTV's This Morning about the violent and manipulative behaviour that they suffered and how it made them unable to trust anyone but each other.

Martine revealed that her first memory was of him 'threatening to drop me' from a balcony and 'feeling scared'.

When she started on Eastenders she knew he would get in touch and was hoping it would be to 'say I'm sorry and I made a mistake' and that he would have 'evolved into this Dad that I always in the back of my mind wanted him to be'.

Instead, he just told her that he was selling his story.

Her mum, Jenny Tomlin, has gone on to become a successful author, drawing on her own experiences. She encouraged women to get in touch and to escape the abuse.

"You want to turn that victim into a victor," she said. "That's what I'd love to see."