Maisie Smith says important life advice from Charlie Brooks has helped ensure she hasn’t "struggled with fame" while growing up in the spotlight.
The 18-year-old actress has portrayed Tiffany Butcher in ‘EastEnders’ since 2008, and she admits a valuable comment from the 38-year-old star – who played Janine Butcher in the BBC One soap from 1999 to 2014 – has stayed with her throughout her career.
She said: "It’s all I’ve ever known; I’ve been acting since the age of four. When I was working with Charlie Brooks [Janine Butcher], she said, ‘Whatever happens in your career, stay grounded,’ and that has stayed with me.
"I don’t feel like I’ve struggled at all with fame; I’ve managed to work my life around it."
While Maisie has managed to avoid becoming a victim of fame, she does receive "the odd negative comment" online, with some trolls branding her "ugly".
She added to OK! magazine: "Everyone experiences the odd negative comment, but I just ignore them.
"I don’t let them affect me because there are so many other comments full of love. It’s usually just people saying: ‘You’re ugly,’ or weird, random things like that.
"I’ve grown up with social media and just focus on the positive stuff."
Maisie was just six years old when she started out on ‘EastEnders’, and recently admitted she thought her family were moving to Albert Square in real life – until her mum convinced her otherwise.
She said: "Apparently, this is what my mum told me, on my first day of being on set I looked at all the houses and said, ‘Mum, I don’t really want to live here.’
"I thought we were moving. And she said, ‘Oh, Mais, it’s not real.’
"But I had no idea. She had to really convince me that we weren’t actually moving to some random square in London."
Maisie Smith praises Charlie Brooks life advice
