From Tiffany Butcher to Marge Sherwood — the former EastEnders star opens up about fame, finances, and finding her voice

Maisie Smith has grown up before our eyes. First gracing the EastEnders set at just six years old as the feisty, flame-haired Tiffany Butcher, she quickly became a household name. But this week, the now 24-year-old actress made headlines not for a new role or red carpet moment—but for a surprising confession about her early years in the spotlight.

Speaking to Matt Edmondson on the Spent! podcast, Maisie shared that her first brush with financial independence didn’t go quite as planned.

“I had a bit of money for a kid – I splashed out on a bedroom that was just head to toe in Cath Kidston,” she recalled, laughing. “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.”

The decorated room was abandoned shortly after the family moved. “You live and you learn,” she mused. “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.”

From Walford to the West End

Now, Maisie is stepping into a very different spotlight as Marge Sherwood in the stage production of The Talented Mr. Ripley. But the journey here wasn’t simple. Despite being one of Britain’s most recognisable young actors, Maisie admitted she once doubted whether she was “good enough” to take on roles beyond soap operas.

“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,” she said.

Leaving EastEnders was a leap into the unknown, but she’s now embracing the risk. “I’ve learned to trust my gut instinct,” Maisie added. “So yes, I do think I’ve been brave—but I’m loving it.”

Learning New Skills, Finding Her Voice

Transitioning from screen to stage wasn’t without its hurdles. “At the beginning I thought, ‘these are big shoes to fill,’ but I had to trust that I was cast for a reason,” Maisie said of her new role.

One humorous challenge? Her Essex roots.

“Being from Essex, I don’t pronounce vowels or consonants,” she admitted. “The dialect coach was like, ‘you have to move your mouth!’”

Still, Maisie is embracing the intensity and thrill of live theatre. “On TV you can just raise an eyebrow, but this is a completely different skillset. I’ve never done a play—just TV and musicals. But I’m really throwing myself in.”

Could Tiffany Return to Walford?

As for whether she’d return to EastEnders? Never say never.

“Not for the minute, but you know what, EastEnders—you never really leave. If someone gets married or dies, I’ll probably be there.”

Maisie’s journey is one of growth, vulnerability, and rediscovered confidence—a far cry from the floral wallpaper of her childhood. And if her recent work is any indication, her best chapters may still be ahead.