Tamzin Ouchthwaite
Star reveals foot injury led to her quitting stage and making EastEnders return
TAMZIN Outhwaite’s decision to hot-foot it back to EastEnders came as a foot injury forced her to rethink her stage career, we can reveal.
The actress had been appearing in West End show Stepping Out alongside Amanda Holden, but had to pull out in March after suffering a stress fracture on her metatarsal during rehearsals.
She was snapped leaving a press night after-party on crutches that month.
Seven months on, she says healing it is a “long process”, adding: “I’ll be doing more TV than theatre now. I’ve just done a couple of years of theatre, which I love, but now it’s time to do some telly. “That’s what I need to do.” The Mirror told yesterday how Tamzin, 46, will return to the BBC1 soap in the New Year as Melanie Owen – 15 years after quitting the role.
Since leaving Stepping Out, she has let her career take a back seat and has spent more time with daughters Florence, nine, and Marnie, five – whose dad, actor Tom Ellis, she split from in 2014.
She admits she had struggled with long working hours on stage.
Tamzin said: “I spent a year on Sweet Charity the musical, but Flo was teething. She would be up every night and I was doing eight shows a week. I thought, maybe I can’t do this any more.
“The last few years have been short of jobs, and a lot more free time. The slowing down has been quite gradual.
“My priorities have changed. Now I’m OK saying ‘No’. If I audition for things and don’t get them, there’s two beautiful faces looking at me and I’m home.””