Maisie Smith became quite possibly the cutest little cupcake that had ever graced British television when she was cast in EastEnders as Tiffany Butcher at the tender age of 6.

With her blazing red hair and adorable, gappy smile, she captured the heart of the nation in the role, which she played on and off for thirteen years, garnering rave reviews for her acting ability at such a young age.

Being a 6 year old in a soap opera is something very few of us can imagine. The opportunities, the fun, the national exposure and, of course, the money!

Apparently, Maisie didn’t handle her new wealth as well as she perhaps could’ve, as she told Matt Edmonson on an upcoming episode of brand new podcast, Spent!

‘I was on EastEnders. I had a bit of money for a kid – I splashed out on a bedroom that was just head to toe in Cath Kidston,’ Maisie began.

‘Bed sheets, pillows, wallpaper, bed – all of it with flowers on. Like someone spat flowers all over my room… it was lovely for like, you know, six months. Did I need it? No – We moved out and the room just stayed there.

‘Every girl has to go through it [a Cath Kidston obsession] at some point. My room became a flower bed and within a few weeks I was like, actually, this isn’t very cool.

‘You live and you learn. I feel like, you know, it’s that thing when you first get a bit of money from getting a good job – oh my gosh. I could just get anything.’

Maisie’s current projects

Maisie’s currently starring as Marge Sherwood in The Talented Mr. Ripley. She previously spoke on her nerves prior to accepting the role.

Maisie said: ‘I spent so many years questioning whether I was good enough to do other things and turned down a lot of opportunities – things I now regret – out of pure fear.

‘People kept telling me it was a brutal world out there and that I’d have to jump into the deep end. So it was scary to leave EastEnders, but over the past few years I’ve learned to trust my gut instinct. So yes, I do think I’ve been brave, but I’m loving it.’

Speaking on her new stage role, Maisie said: ‘At the beginning I thought ‘these are big shoes to fill’ but you have trust in the casting.

‘They wouldn’t have picked me if they didn’t believe in me, and that’s all the reassurance I needed. I knew I could do it, so it’s been easy to lose myself in the show every night.’

When the topic of moving from screen to theatres came up, she added: On the transition from TV to the stage, she said: ‘I loved EastEnders, but I was itching to get up on stage and see what I was capable of. So being able to focus on my part in The Talented Mr Ripley and having months to rehearse has been really enjoyable and much more exciting than I expected.

‘I’ve been adapting to having thousands of people watching me on TV to seeing the audience on the front row. On TV you can just raise an eyebrow to convey emotions, but this is a completely different skillset.

‘I’m really enjoying being on stage and it’s so much fun and so different. This show I’m doing is going to be incredible. It’s the first ever UK tour of The Talented Mr Ripley. It’s a really exciting part, very different to anything I’ve done. I’ve never done a play. I’ve done TV and some musicals… I’m really excited to have a few weeks to prepare for a nice acting role.’

Prior to beginning her role, Maisie opened up about one particular challenge she’d faced.

‘Being from Essex, I don’t pronounce vowels or consonants…the dialect coach was like ‘you have to move your mouth!’

Will Tiffany ever return to EastEnders?

When asked whether or not ‘Enders viewers will see Tiffany again, Maisie said there was a possibility.

‘Not for the minute, but you know what, EastEnders you never really leave,’ Maisie said back in 2023.

‘You could die on that show and come back in a couple of weeks, it’s one of them. If someone gets married or if someone dies, I’ll probably be there.’