Brashy, brazen and addicted to Mr Wrong?
Don't believe a word of it, says Tiana Benjamin
April 25th 2010
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When Tiana Benjamin walks into a room, boy do you know it. Barefoot, Tiana stands a statuesque 5ft 9in tall, so when she slips into a pair of six-inch Carvela heels at our red-carpet-inspired shoot, she's borderline Glamazonian - and that's the way she likes it.
"Heels make me feel sooo sexy," Tiana tells us. "I love looking elegant, and don't mind wearing really high ones even though I'm tall. Don't get me wrong, I don't wash dishes in them - I've got Uggs too - but heels are definitely my going out must-haves."
And, she's not prepared to compromise on her sky-highs, so vertically challenged suitors need not apply. "I tend to chat to guys who share my eyeline! I prefer my men to be taller than me so sorry lads, I couldn't go out with a shorter guy. If a bloke was an inch shorter then fine, but 5ft 4in and I'd have to bend down for a kiss, which isn't a good look!"
That's not the only problem Tiana encounters when it comes to men. Sadly, she's always overshadowed by the big personality of her on-screen alter ego. "Guys misjudge me and assume I'm a bad-boy-lovin' maneater like Chelsea," she says, before admitting: "I've gone for bad boys in the past. I guess some girls are drawn to danger. It's something you eventually grow out of and I think I'm nearly there."
Although fiercely coy about her love life, Tiana lets it slip that she's off the market. "I'm seeing a guy at the moment, but he's not part of the acting world, he's into finance and banking," she says.
Tiana could easily have been strutting the catwalks instead of the Walford streets - she grew up in north London and was approached by a model scout in Topshop when she was 14. But fortunately for the residents of Albert Square, modelling wasn't her calling. Tiana describes her passion for acting as an "obsession", so it's no surprise that after training as a dancer at the famous Pineapple Studios (home to the gloriously camp Louie Spence, dahhling) she landed a role in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, before being snapped up to star in EastEnders.
Now, four years after making her soap debut, she's leaving Walford. It means that this year's British Soap Awards may be her last. "I love the show, so saying goodbye was a difficult decision," says Tiana. "I'm leaving a security blanket and in this climate I'm blessed to be working. But it's time to move on. I'm scared but excited too."
For now, her sights are set on following former EastEnders actresses Tamzin Outhwaite and Martine McCutcheon on to the West End stage. As for the Hollywood dream, Tiana stops short. "I'd just be setting myself up for a fall," she says, cautiously. Gorgeous and down-to-earth? Now that's real star quality.
