Martine McCutcheon can't ''take risks'' with her health during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 44-year-old singer-and-actress - who has five-year-old son Rafferty with husband Jack McManus - makes sure she takes extra precautions when she leaves the house because of her previous struggles with Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome (M.E.) and depression because she doesn't want to fall seriously ill.

She told the new issue of Britain's HELLO! magazine: ''If you have any underlying illness you can't take risks. As with any chronic condition you can have flare-ups. When I go outside I always have my mask and my gloves and take it very seriously.''

But the 'Love Actually' actress is enjoying the slower pace of life in the current climate.

She said: ''I have been really good emotionally for a long time and I have felt a lot calmer. It has been good to realise it is okay to do things at your own pace. Life is so fast that there never seems to be time.''

And Martine thinks the global health crisis has brought people together and made them ''kinder''.

She added: ''Now there is this new togetherness, even with social distancing.

''People have become a lot kinder than they have been for a long time.

''I think we have become a little bit of a spoilt generation. We had the world literally at the touch of our fingertips. Now we have learnt that we need to be grateful for small things, to check in with people and to slow down.''

The 'Perfect Moment' singer also opened up about how much she enjoys motherhood.

She gushed: ''I am really happy with my lot. I always said if I am blessed with a child I will be so grateful. Rafferty takes some topping - he is an amazing kid. We are like the Three Musketeers.''