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actor and still be a mum, it felt like
During her first stint in
the timing of it was right and EastEnders, Tamzin started a
everything was aligned.” relationship with Ian Beale. He
The final say went to nine-year- blackmailed her into marriage,
old Flo. “I said to Flo: ‘What do claiming his daughter had cancer.
you think about it?’ There were a The couple were set to marry on
couple of other things on the table Millennium night, but Mel dumped
that would have meant going him as the clock struck midnight.
away,” Tamzin, 47, recalls. “She Following flings with Billy
said: ‘Well, can you come home Mitchell, Dan Sullivan and Phil
every night?’ And I said: ‘Yes.’ And Mitchell, Mel married Steve
she went: ‘Well do it then.’ It was Owen. Dan kidnapped her to warn
the certainty of her answer that how dangerous Steve was, so she
made me think: ‘Actually, you’re burnt down their club in revenge.
absolutely right.’ After being arrested over Steve’s
“I’m doing different scripts drug connections, Phil bailed her
every single day, working with out of jail, but she fled, heading to
people I really respect, it’s up the Portugal, pregnant with Steve’s
road from where I live, I can get child and owing Phil £30,000.
home every night – it was a bit of Now 15 years on, she is back.
a no brainer really.” Tamzin forged a charismatic
Since her return to Walford, Mel partnership with her screen
has been using a mixture of charm husband Steve (Martin Kemp).
and subterfuge in her attempts to Shortly before Mel left the
track down the missing money, Square, Steve famously died after
after ruthless Ciara (Denise being engulfed in flames as the car
McCormack) warned her she he crashed blew up. While that
wouldn’t see her 15-year-old son seems to rule out a return, stranger
Hunter (Charlie Winter) again things have happened on
unless she did. television and Tamzin admits she
This week, to her joy, Mel is did ask the show’s bosses if they
finally reunited with Hunter. But could somehow engineer it.
just when she thinks life can get “Martin Kemp told me if Steve
back on track, Hunter finds out Owen hadn’t been killed in that
the truth about his father. car, he’d be back like a shot.
When worried Mel “I watched that last
later finds the scene again three
teenager at his “MARTIN KEMP times to see if he
grandmother’s TOLD ME IF STEVE could have got out
grave, she is and I thought: ‘He
faced with the HADN’T BEEN KILLED could have got
aftermath of IN THAT CAR, HE’D BE out of the other
Hunter learning side of the car.’
exactly who BACK LIKE A SHOT” It’s not beyond
Steve Owen the realms!”
really was. TAMZIN OUTHWAITE Sue Crawford
With Nicholas Lyndhurst, Denis Lawson Leaning on Steve Pemberton’s
and Dennis Waterman in New Tricks (2015) shoulder in Inside No 9 (2017)
SATURDAY MAGAZINE 7