‘I miss her so much – it physically hurts’

The mum of Martine McCutcheon is begging her daughter will reconcile with her following a heartbreaking family death.

Martine’s mum, Jenny Tomlin, said she and Martine used to be incredibly close. However, after Martine’s brother, Laurence John, also known as LJ, died at the age of 31 in 2022, Jenny broke down and pushed her daughter away.

Martine has remained in the headlines recently after she was declared bankrupt for a second time following her split from husband Jack McManus.

Martine’s brother died at age 31 (Credit: ITV)

Martine McCutcheon’s ‘heartbroken’ mum makes plea

In an exclusive interview with OK!, Jenny said she was so “heartbroken” by the death that she “detached” herself from Martine.

“There was no big row – Martine tried to contact me for months, but I didn’t answer. Martine was grieving and needed me, too. I want the chance to say sorry. I miss her so much – it physically hurts,” she said.

Last October, Martine and Jenny met up. However, it was brief and not the reunion Jenny had been hoping for.

“She’d moved into a new home and wondered if my husband Alan could do some painting. We jumped at the chance and went over, but we didn’t talk in depth. It was awkward and the atmosphere felt heavy,” she said.

An autopsy revealed that LJ had died from acute ischaemic heart disease and diabetes. Jenny was so distraught at the scene that Martine had to speak to the paramedics to find out what had happened.

In the early hours, Martine took care of her mum. However, following the tragic event, her life went “down a deep, dark pit”.

Jenny got so bad that she was “seen by a mental health team and given anti-anxiety meds”. Due to her battle with anxiety, Jenny believes this has played a huge part in not seeing her daughter or grandson, Rafferty, for a long time.

“I abandoned her. I was so wrapped up in my own grief that I was neglecting my other child. That was the start of it, and things just… snowballed. And here we are,” she continued.

Martine’s mum makes public plea to see her (Credit: YouTube)

‘Losing my grandson has felt like another death’

Jenny has continued to reach out to Martine through texts, cards, and sending cards. However, she has not heard back from her.

Jenny said she and Alan drove the 90 minutes to Martine’s house in Surrey, where she was “banging on the door shouting her name”. Still, there was no answer.

After driving home feeling “distraught”, Jenny explained she has “done this interview as a plea for Martine to get in touch”.

Jenny is aware she has let Martine down, but has started to feel like herself again. That said, she feels losing her grandson Rafferty has “felt like another death”.

ED! has contacted Martine’s reps for comment.