Perched on a rock, she could be waiting for a bus.But if so, she could be in for an awfully long wait.This photo of what looks remarkably like a female figure with her arm outstretched, was taken on Mars. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it has set the Internet abuzz with claims that there really is life on the red planet.
Others may well feel that it is simply an optical illusion caused by a landscape.
The image was among many sent back to Earth by Spirit, Nasa's Mars explorer vehicle which landed there four years ago.
Initial inspections revealed nothing unusual, but closer examination by amateur astronomers has thrown up this intriguing picture.
As one enthusiast put it on a website: "These pictures are amazing. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what appears to be a naked alien running around on Mars."
Another, dismissing cynicism about the somewhat stony look of the "alien", wrote: "If you show me another rock in another photo from Mars, or Earth, that naturally looks like that, I will reconsider." A third contributor, who might have come closer to the majority view, said: "Ah, the human eye can be tricked so easily."
6ft 6ins and still growing ...Digger the Clydesdale becomes Britain's biggest horse
From his lofty position in the stable yard, Digger has become used to looking down on the world.
Indeed, he is so high and mighty that his handler Lisa McFarlane is finding it hard to chart his exact size.
She is pictured here with her measuring bar which extends to 19 hands, and Digger stands well clear of the top.
Best estimates put the strapping Clydesdale at 19 hands and two inches (6ft 6in)- on a par with Britain's biggest living horse.
And at just four years old, Digger is the equivalent in equine terms to a teenager so there is still time for him to grow.
He arrived at the International League for the Protection of Horses' Belwade Farm in Aboyne, Scotland, shortly before Christmas and has swiftly made himself at home.
His previous owner had health problems and was finding it increasingly difficult to cope with such a big horse.
Eileen Gillen, farm manager, said: "He is the largest horse we have ever had. He is the equivalent of a growing teenage boy --never out of the fridge. Heaven knows what size he is going to end up."
With his head up Digger measures close to 9ft. Horses are traditionally measured in four-inch "hands" from the ground to the withers, which is the highest point of the spine before it becomes the animal's neck.
Digger is now neck and neck with Cracker, a shire horse in Lincolnshire measured at 19 hands and two inches in 2005.
Tina, a shire from Tennessee, was named tallest horse in the world last year, measuring 20 hands.
Has Britney Spears dumped paparazzo Adnan Ghalib?
Singer rumoured to have requested a restraining order against him Britney Spears is reported to have given Adnan Ghalib the elbow and rumours suggest that she's even trying to prevent him making contact with her.Two paparazzi were invited into Britney's house for champagne in the early hours of Sunday morning and claim they heard shocking news from the singer's close friend Sam Lutfi, 33.According to one of the snappers, Sam said they'd filed a request for a restraining order against photographer Adnan because they want him 'out of Britney's life'.But Adnan, 35 - who's been out of town - claims he knows nothing about it.'All I can say is that I have not been in contact with Britney since early Friday morning,' he says in a message posted on the website of his agency FinalPixx.'The reason being, that I have had to attend a family funeral in Santa Barbara. My phone has been off during this time out of respect for my family.'I am only now becoming aware of what is being said.'The Los Angeles Sherrif's department says that no order was issued, reports People.com.Last Monday Britney, 26, lost all visitation rights to see sons Sean Preston, 2, and 1-year old Jayden James until the next custody hearing on 19 February.
Extraordinary pictures of the alphabet - spelled out on butterflies' wings
Every one of these extraordinary images comes from the brilliant patterns on the wings of moths and butterflies. These designs - each one unique to its species - are used either to attract a mate or for disguise against predators.Photographer Kjell Sandved has made it his life's work to capture them and create this amazing butterfly alphabet, with every letter from A to Z and every number from 1 to 9.Now, Daily Mail readers can have an exclusive, limited edition copy of this magnificent alphabet, either on a giant glossy poster (A1 size) or as 35 double-sided letter flash-cards which will allow you to make up fun messages of your own or help children with their alphabet and numbers.Simply send a cheque for £2.99 for each giant poster or £3.99 for each set of letter flash-cards. Then add just £1 for postage, no matter how many posters or flash-card sets you order.Send your cheque (made payable to Media Offers), along with your name, address and details of your order, to: Butterfly Alphabet, POBox 1017, Bushey, Herts WD23 1XD.
Meet Snake-girl - the contortionist getting circus audiences in a twist
Nokulunga Buthelezi is standing in a Big Top in London's Docklands with her foot on top of her head. She removes the foot easily and, just as easily, replaces it with her other one.
Then Nokulunga - known as Lunga, or, more flamboyantly, Snake-Girl - puts the other one back. Now both feet are on her head.
There is, apparently, a 'snake' gene in Lunga's family, and it pops out every couple of generations.
At school, Lunga says she interrupted lessons to show the teacher her moves, and at break times she did demonstrations for her classmates - and charged them for the privilege. (Her brother, Bheki, collected the money and they spent it on sweets.)
I wonder if the snake-child was bullied - like the fat kid, or the clever kid, or the, well, freak kid. But no. Lunga is beautiful and confident, and this surely helped.
"All the other kids wished they were as flexible as me." She gives a proud smile. "But only I could do it."
Like her great-grandmother, Lunga might have stayed an amateur snake-woman. But one day, when Lunga was seven, her mother Nokuthula met a gymnast called Sylvester performing in the local shopping mall, and she told him about her incredible bending daughter.
"He came round and saw me, and he realised I didn't need any training to be a contortionist," she says.
Sylvester took her to auditions for the UniverSoul Circus, which was recruiting in South Africa. They took her on instantly, but insisted she go to circus school in Cape Town to sort out her routine, which in Lunga's case meant simply rolling her moves into a seven minute sequence.
When she was ready, she was literally taken away to join the circus - every English child's bedtime fantasy - in America. She had a chaperone called Catherine, and she did her lessons between hours on the sawdust, returning home every three months to see her family, whom she was already supporting financially.
Today, she earns about £50,000 a year - top whack for circus performers and the going rate for a photogenic snake-girl.
£I had never left my family before so it was pretty difficult," she says. "But I got used to it." And it was wonderful, she says, growing up in a Big Top.
She used to ride on the elephants' backs, and even polish their toenails. When a tiger escaped from its cage, she says, it padded backstage and eyeballed her.
It must have been the oddest of childhoods, and being a snake-girl had trials all of its own.
"I was only nine when all these responsibilities came crashing down on my head," she says. "I always wanted to go to a real school, and I never will now. It's nice to travel the world, but sometimes I wish I had done the things other teenagers do - go to school, play truant, get into trouble, sneak off to the movies. Just have fun.
"And it would have been nice to have people my own age around me. I was always the youngest."
Neither, she says, does she have time for that other rite of teenage passage, a boyfriend.
And as the circus people pop in and out of the office, I realise she is a bit of a pet. They kiss her, and pat her, and treat her like a (child) star.
This explains her strange combination of sophistication and naivete. "I was always a tomboy," she says. "I was never girlie. I never liked Barbie."
Of course she didn't. Barbie is for girls growing up in the suburbs and dreaming of something more interesting - not for tiny snake-girls taking their bows.
"Although," and she sits up straight as she says this, "I am trying to be like a lady."
She is also continuing her studies by correspondence course between shows, but she doesn't know when she will retire.
"I have seen contortionists in their 70s," she tells me, "so who knows how long I will do it for?"
How does a snake-girl maintain herself? She says she eats very healthily: no carbohydrates, hardly any meat, and chocolate only once a week.
"I have to keep my weight straight," she adds, adding, very tactfully: "My mother is not a small person."
Are there any fat contortionists? "There are fat contortionists," she says, "but it doesn't look attractive, because you wear very tight costumes."
She joined Africa! Afrika! two years ago, when she was 16. When they were in Frankfurt, Lunga went to see a specialist about her 'flexibility' and he X-rayed her in a contortion position.
"He said I am as normal as everyone else. I am just more flexible."
Even when she occasionally makes a mistake in her act, she never falls, and she has never injured herself. Her super-bendy body just carries her through.
"If I fall, everyone thinks it is a new trick," she says.
She loves being snake-girl. "I like to torture people with it," she says. "People scream and cry when I do my act. A lot of them think it is disgusting."
She seems rather thrilled by this. "I am different. And I like to be different."
She certainly is. But doesn't she ever wish it would go away and she could be normal? "Even if I wanted it to leave, it wouldn't," she says, adding vaguely: "I still contort in my sleep.
"It isn't nice to be compared to a snake. The flexibility of a snake is very good: but the other characteristics are the worst."
She falls to the floor and does her snake act. Her body seems to be made of rubber. She melts, bending her legs over her head, tucking her hands and feet into places non-snake-girls simply cannot reach. It does look wildly creepy, even disgusting.
And she chatters away, bending herself over again. "People always ask me: 'How do you do this?' But I don't know. Nobody knows. Only God knows."
"Do you know," she adds, "that I can't do a straight hand-stand? I'm too flexible." And, smiling at me like a child with an incredible toy, she sticks her foot on her head. Again.
Then Nokulunga - known as Lunga, or, more flamboyantly, Snake-Girl - puts the other one back. Now both feet are on her head.
At school, Lunga says she interrupted lessons to show the teacher her moves, and at break times she did demonstrations for her classmates - and charged them for the privilege. (Her brother, Bheki, collected the money and they spent it on sweets.)
I wonder if the snake-child was bullied - like the fat kid, or the clever kid, or the, well, freak kid. But no. Lunga is beautiful and confident, and this surely helped.
"All the other kids wished they were as flexible as me." She gives a proud smile. "But only I could do it."
Like her great-grandmother, Lunga might have stayed an amateur snake-woman. But one day, when Lunga was seven, her mother Nokuthula met a gymnast called Sylvester performing in the local shopping mall, and she told him about her incredible bending daughter.
"He came round and saw me, and he realised I didn't need any training to be a contortionist," she says.
Sylvester took her to auditions for the UniverSoul Circus, which was recruiting in South Africa. They took her on instantly, but insisted she go to circus school in Cape Town to sort out her routine, which in Lunga's case meant simply rolling her moves into a seven minute sequence.
When she was ready, she was literally taken away to join the circus - every English child's bedtime fantasy - in America. She had a chaperone called Catherine, and she did her lessons between hours on the sawdust, returning home every three months to see her family, whom she was already supporting financially.
Today, she earns about £50,000 a year - top whack for circus performers and the going rate for a photogenic snake-girl.
£I had never left my family before so it was pretty difficult," she says. "But I got used to it." And it was wonderful, she says, growing up in a Big Top.
She used to ride on the elephants' backs, and even polish their toenails. When a tiger escaped from its cage, she says, it padded backstage and eyeballed her.
It must have been the oddest of childhoods, and being a snake-girl had trials all of its own.
"I was only nine when all these responsibilities came crashing down on my head," she says. "I always wanted to go to a real school, and I never will now. It's nice to travel the world, but sometimes I wish I had done the things other teenagers do - go to school, play truant, get into trouble, sneak off to the movies. Just have fun.
"And it would have been nice to have people my own age around me. I was always the youngest."
Neither, she says, does she have time for that other rite of teenage passage, a boyfriend.
And as the circus people pop in and out of the office, I realise she is a bit of a pet. They kiss her, and pat her, and treat her like a (child) star.
This explains her strange combination of sophistication and naivete. "I was always a tomboy," she says. "I was never girlie. I never liked Barbie."
Of course she didn't. Barbie is for girls growing up in the suburbs and dreaming of something more interesting - not for tiny snake-girls taking their bows.
"Although," and she sits up straight as she says this, "I am trying to be like a lady."
She is also continuing her studies by correspondence course between shows, but she doesn't know when she will retire.
"I have seen contortionists in their 70s," she tells me, "so who knows how long I will do it for?"
How does a snake-girl maintain herself? She says she eats very healthily: no carbohydrates, hardly any meat, and chocolate only once a week.
"I have to keep my weight straight," she adds, adding, very tactfully: "My mother is not a small person."
Are there any fat contortionists? "There are fat contortionists," she says, "but it doesn't look attractive, because you wear very tight costumes."
She joined Africa! Afrika! two years ago, when she was 16. When they were in Frankfurt, Lunga went to see a specialist about her 'flexibility' and he X-rayed her in a contortion position.
"He said I am as normal as everyone else. I am just more flexible."
Even when she occasionally makes a mistake in her act, she never falls, and she has never injured herself. Her super-bendy body just carries her through.
"If I fall, everyone thinks it is a new trick," she says.
She loves being snake-girl. "I like to torture people with it," she says. "People scream and cry when I do my act. A lot of them think it is disgusting."
She seems rather thrilled by this. "I am different. And I like to be different."
She certainly is. But doesn't she ever wish it would go away and she could be normal? "Even if I wanted it to leave, it wouldn't," she says, adding vaguely: "I still contort in my sleep.
"It isn't nice to be compared to a snake. The flexibility of a snake is very good: but the other characteristics are the worst."
She falls to the floor and does her snake act. Her body seems to be made of rubber. She melts, bending her legs over her head, tucking her hands and feet into places non-snake-girls simply cannot reach. It does look wildly creepy, even disgusting.
And she chatters away, bending herself over again. "People always ask me: 'How do you do this?' But I don't know. Nobody knows. Only God knows."
"Do you know," she adds, "that I can't do a straight hand-stand? I'm too flexible." And, smiling at me like a child with an incredible toy, she sticks her foot on her head. Again.
Ancient Tomb Art Found in Path of Irish Highway
The new find follows the discovery last spring of a prehistoric open-air temple nearby, causing construction of the 37-mile-long (60-kilometer-long) M3 highway northwest of Dublin to be temporarily suspended (see map).
The timber temple enclosure was found just 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) from the Hill of Tara, once the seat of power of ancient Celtic kings.The latest excavations at Lismullin revealed part of a huge stone monument, or megalith, decorated with engravings dating to the Late Stone Age, according to archaeologists from Ireland's National Roads Authority (NRA).Tomb engravings dating back 6,000 years are among the latest discoveries unearthed on the route of a controversial highway under construction in Ireland.
The historic site, at Lismullin in County Meath, was handed over to road builders last month, just weeks after the Stone Age art was found inside a medieval bunker.
Discovered some 165 feet (50 meters) from the temple's enclosure, the stone features a series of zigzags, concentric circles, and arcs."It's classic megalithic art," said Mary Deevy, NRA's chief archaeologist.
The engravings are similar to those that decorate other burial chambers in the region known as passage tombs, Deevy noted."We've only got half a boulder, but we think originally it was probably a curbstone from a passage tomb," she said.The stone would have formed a wall that kept the burial mound together, with the artwork displayed on the outer surface, Deevy said.What the motifs symbolized remains a mystery, the archaeologist added.
Viking Attacks
The stone was discovered within an early medieval souterrain, an underground structure that may have been used by local inhabitants to defend themselves against Viking raiders, the excavation team reported.Dating to around the 10th century A.D., the souterrain was probably constructed using the broken megalith as building material."The souterrain builders robbed or quarried the stone from a Neolithic [Late Stone Age] monument," Deevy said."Souterrains are common in Ireland, and it's not unusual to have stones from earlier monuments reused on them," she added.
The rock art will eventually go on public display, according to Deevy, who describes the Lismullin site as "100 percent excavated."The site was handed over to road builders on December 18, with construction work expected to start soon.Campaigners who want the highway re-routed away from the Hill of Tara area have attacked the decision."Significant damage has already been done," said Vincent Salafia of Dublin-based protest group TaraWatch."But until the road is built on top of the site, I suppose there is still hope."
One of the "Top Discoveries"
Irish citizens opposed to the road project are currently fielding legal advice with a view to obtaining a court injunction to halt construction, the campaigner said.The European Commission has criticized the Irish government for failing to properly reassess the impact of the road project after the ruins of the open-air temple were uncovered last year.Under European law, the discovery should have triggered a so-called environmental impact assessment, Salafia said.
While the Lismullin site was declared a national monument, "this has made no difference whatsoever," he added.Upward of 40 archaeological sites have been uncovered along the route of the highway, Salafia said.
"The bigger argument that's at stake is that Lismullin is connected to all these other 40 sites, and that they are all part and parcel of one single large national monument, which is the Hill of Tara complex," he said."If a new environment impact assessment were done, that's what would be shown, and that the motorway should go outside that complex rather than straight through it."Lismullin's timber enclosure site was recently named one of the top ten discoveries of 2007 by the magazine Archaeology, published by the Archaeological Institute of America.
"Construction of the new M3 highway, meant to ease traffic congestion around Dublin, threatens not only the Hill of Tara's timeless quality, but also newly discovered archaeological sites in the surrounding valley," the magazine said.
Surf's up: Kim Cattrall solves the problem of her cellulite by covering up in a sexy full-body wetsuit
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Kim Cattrall's dimpled thighs were on show for all to see as she filmed scenes in a 50s style bikini for the new Sex And The City movie in Malibu yesterday.But the actress appears to have solved that particular thorny problem by slipping into something a bit more forgiving – a sexy full body wetsuit.
Although her fans may be a little disappointed that there is less of her still-enviable figure to enjoy, Kim looked every inch a beachside pin-up in the figure-hugging outfit for the rolling in the surf scenes.
Kim was reunited with her hunky onscreen boyfriend Smith Jerrod, played by handsome actor Jason Lewis.
Kim has often stripped off for her role as the racy Samantha - but in new scenes for the highly-anticipated big screen version she appears to have revealed rather more than she would have liked.
The actress was pictures in a pair of massive bikini bottoms which failed to hide the dimpled truth, as her cellulite was revealed while she filmed scenes on the Malibu beach.
The blonde star strode along the beach, gold stilettos in hand. And despite retaining a still enviable figure, her thighs showed the tell-tale signs of the dreaded skin condition which defeats many women.
Kim wore a 50s style black halternecked bikini to film scenes on the deserted beach. And the large tummy-covering pants had more than a hint of the Bridget Jones' about them.
But unlike Bridget's control pants, unfortunately for Kim, they did little to enhance the Sex and the City star's still svelte figure.
But, dreaded cellulite aside, the 51-year-old actress is clearly still in pretty fine fettle.
And fans of the film are expecting plenty of the raunchy scenes that are now associated with her outrageous character, PR woman Samantha.
The film has been dogged by rumours of on-set rows, mainly involving Cattrall and actress Sarah Jessica-Parker.
And in new reports from the US, an insider is set to blow the lid with a behind the scenes memoir.
According to the New York Post, Clifford Streit, the former manager of author Candace Bushnell, is touting a book proposal of the series' early days titled "Unbecoming Stanford."
The book is named after Stanford Blatch, the character who was Carrie Bradshaw's flamboyant gay best friend played by Willie Garson, as it was intended as a caricature of Streit.
Recently, Bushnell and Streit amicably settled a financial dispute over payment from the show.
The book suggests tensions on set began because Kim Cattrall was "a natural comedienne, and a scene-stealer in the best possible sense - the camera went right to her."
Streit also claims two of the show's on-screen lovers had an affair off-screen too.
And that executive producer Darren Star passed on Ashton Kutcher for the show because, he privately confided after a dinner meeting: "I don't see this kid going anywhere."
Lockin lips with Brad and Angelina
Last night, I watched Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie make out.Not in my dreams, mind you. I was at the live VH1 telecast of the Critics' Choice Awards from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The Dolce & Gabbana-garbed Jolie and her scruffy-sexy man were two of the last celebs to arrive, so they had to wait in the back for a commercial break to take their seats. So, what did they do while they waited? The lovebirds whispered, laughed and then, like a couple of teenagers, they began kissing. And I'm not talking about a sweet peck or two between parents. It was a full-on make-out session! As one of my coworkers said, "I want to make out with them!" Another thing you didn't see? Whenever the cameras stopped rolling for a commercial break, the pair's table was immediately swarmed with boldfaced names and Industry executives. Queen Latifah was one of the first to stop by to say hello. I also caught Hairspray director Adam Shankman chatting them up, as did Julian Schnabel, director of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.Elsewhere during the evening, other big names found their way together. Sean Penn caught up with George Clooney and Don Cheadle backstage. Clooney took a gulp from Penn’s cocktail. And then there was Katie Holmes presenting Best Comedy to Juno. Not sure how she came off on television, but in person she looked stunning. I mean, everything was perfectly in place: the hair, the makeup, the shoes and the one-shoulder Lanvin dress. Holmes didn’t stick around too long, though. She quickly skedaddled after chatting backstage with Juno's Allison Janney.I’ll be seeing more of Holmes tomorrow night at the premiere of Mad Money, her new comedy costarring Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah. After the awards, the party under an adjoining tent was pretty low-key. Most of the stars headed home, but I did catch Schnabel, Casey Affleck, Emile Hirsch and Cuba Gooding Jr. enjoying the festivities.
Angelina Jolie shows she still has curves in the right places
However they need worry no more, as Jolie, 32, showed she still has curves in the right places.
Jolie looked glamorous in a tight-clinging black dress as she attended the 13th Annual Critics' Choice Awards in California with partner Brad Pitt.
The event went ahead despite the Hollywood writers' strike which has forced organisers to cancel next weekend's Golden Globes show after stars including Keira Knightley vowed to boycott the event.
At last night's awards, Jolie looked radiant, spending the night either smiling broadly or gazing adoringly into Pitt's eyes.
It is a stark contrast to her glum turn at last year's Golden Globes, where she looked uncomfortable in what was her first public appearance with Pitt as a couple.
Pitt, however, was looking his age of 44, his beard boasting a few grey whiskers and the stress of being a father-of-four young children clearly taking its' toll.
While Jolie may have won in the style stakes, she failed to take home the Best Actress prize for her turn in A Mighty Heart.
Instead that gong went to veteran British actress Julie Christie for Away From Her.
However Jolie can console herself that she is a sure-fire contender for this year's Oscars with her turn as Mariane Pearl in the real-life account of her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl's life and death.
It is the first time since winning the Best Supporting Actress in 1999 for Girl Interrupted, that Jolie has been in the running for an acting accolade.
In recent years she has become better known for her private life which has included adopting three children and her humanitarian work, as opposed to the day job.
Amy enjoys the sun with her ex-boyfriend as husband Blake sits behind bars
Rumor Has It ... Jennifer Aniston is Hot!
Jessica Alba and Jessica Biel get all the ass attention, but will their backsides look this good when they're 38 like Jennifer Aniston?
Now that is picture perfect!
Now that is picture perfect!
Fergie and Josh Duhamel Go Boho In Cabo San Lucas
Lindsay Lohan gets up close and personal on her hotel balcony with her THIRD man in 24 hours
Wild child actress Lindsay Lohan showed off her ample pulling skills when she kissed THREE men in one busy 24-hour spell while visiting Capri for a film festival last weekend.But it is not every man who manages to get lucky enough to make it back to Li-Lo's pad. Only actor Dario Faiella, the son of Italian music legend Peppino Di Capri, headed back to her hotel. But Li-Lo was clearly smitten with her choice, as she showed an undressed Faiella her appreciation with a loving hand on his derriére out on her room balcony.The Hollywood actress, whose star has been on the wane since a series of embarrassing drunken incidents and spell in rehab, had just finished clocking up three passionate encounters during her trip.The Mean Girls actress, 21, first met waiter Alessandro Di Nunzio shortly after arriving on the Italian island of Capri for a film festival.The pair exchanged phone numbers at a film showing which the actress attended with Heroes star and friend Hayden Panettiere, 18.But she dumped her friend shortly afterwards to meet up with, and lock lips with, Di Nunzio. The pair enjoyed a meal together before getting cosy on a hotel sofa together.But it seems Lohan has a short memory when it comes to romance - the following day she was being whisked away by another Italian hunk, older actor Eduardo Costa.Li-Lo, dressed provocatively in a silver foil mini-dress, listened attentively to Costa's jokes, but it was not long before she was snogging again. The older man looked like the cat who got the cream after his passionate embrace with the young star who recently reconciled with her father and is said to be leading a 'healthy' lifestyle.Her love life is certainly buoyant, as the third of her trio of kisses, local actor Dario Faiella, made it back to her room.She had been all over him earlier in the evening at a nightclub, snogging him before launching herself on top of him as they got physical on the nightclub sofa.Lohan is also said to be dating the ex-love of troubled pop star Britney Spears — 28-year-old music producer JR Rotem. Her romantic exploits come after a particularly difficult year for Lindsay Lohan.She spent weeks in rehab during her second stint in which she gave up drinking alcohol after her arrest for drink-driving in Los Angeles.After a very promising start to her Hollywood career with producers knocking at her door to sign her up, Lohan won a reputation for being difficult and late on set and has struggled to secure further roles.
Curvy Martine McCutcheon takes a dip with her new mystery man
When her dream of conquering Hollywood failed to materialise, Martine McCutcheon was forced to look a little closer to home for her next big break. Topping up her tan in the Caribbean sun - ahead of her British television comeback - the 31-year-old actress proves she is once again riding on the crest of a wave.The former EastEnders star, who is appearing in ITV1's new surf-based soap Echo Beach, happily slipped into character - and a bikini - during her latest holiday in Barbados.Accompanied by her new boyfriend it was most definitely a case of life imitating art as the actress, wearing her hair loose and dark designer sunglasses, frolicked on the island's exclusive west coast before stopping off for an al fresco lunch."Martine looked in fine fettle and was having a very energetic beach-side morning," said a fellow holiday maker."She showed off a curvy but toned physique and certainly didn't receive any complaints from her boyfriend who could hardly keep his eyes off her."The two of them spent much of the day kissing and cuddling in the sea, and seemed oblivious to everyone else on the beach." Miss McCutcheon, who moved to LA shortly after her popular EastEnders character Tiffany was killed off eight years ago, famously claimed she had been described by casting agents as 'England's answer to Jennifer Lopez'.However, aside from an appearance in the hit movie Love Actually, her Tinseltown career failed to take off and she recently returned to live back in the UK full-time.But early reviews for her latest TV project, in which she stars alongside ex-Neighbours actor Jason Donovan, have been positive and the post-watershed soap, set in a fictional town in Cornwall, is expected to be one of ITV1's biggest hits of the year.The 12-part drama is being accompanied by a behind-the-scenes comedy show, Moving Wallpaper, which follows the show's fantasy production team's trials and tribulations in getting the series made.It promises to mark a career revival for Miss McCutcheon, whose most notable work last year was the release of a fitness DVD.Speaking about her health, she recently said: "There's been an awful lot of pressure on me to look thin and sometimes that hasn't been how my body's meant to be naturally."I'm a typical hourglass shape and I have to keep my curves in check. I don't want someone talking about my weight, I want someone talking about my performance."I know these women in the industry who say, 'I have a fast metabolism' and 'I do eat'. It's rubbish!
"Most of them don't eat very much, work out like you wouldn't believe and are paranoid as hell. I think the most beautiful thing about a woman is when she's naturally gorgeous and doesn't look like she's trying too hard."I hate that skinny look."
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