EastEnders character Bradley Branning was portrayed by Charlie Clements between 2006 and 2010 – but the actor’s life now is a world away from Walford.
Charlie Clements, best known for playing Bradley Branning in EastEnders, lives a dramatically different life after quitting acting to raise his family. The star appeared on the BBC soap for four years and won numerous accolades for his performance.
In January 2006, Charlie, now 37, debuted in Walford as Max (played by Jake Wood) and Rachel Branning’s (Suki Smith) son Bradley. During his tenure, the character married Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), had a romance with beautician Preeti Choraria (Babita Pohoomull) and was once taken hostage by Nick Cotton (John Altman) in Ian Beale’s (Adam Woodyatt) café.
During a live episode broadcast in February 2010 to mark EastEnders’ 25th anniversary, Bradley died falling from the roof of the Queen Victoria pub while being pursued by a policeman. Following his departure, Charlie picked up awards for Best Exit at both the British Soap Awards and the Inside Soap Awards.
After bowing, Charlie claimed it was “Time to move on and take on some new roles.” He continued: “I will always be grateful to EastEnders – I have had the privilege of working with some wonderful people whilst being given some fantastic storylines.”
However, the London-born star also admitted it was “scary” to think about a post-EastEnders life. “It takes up so much of your life,” he said. “I guess it’s auditions, auditions, auditions for me. I just hope I get work.”
Charlie Clements won numerous awards for his portrayal of Bradley (Image: GETTY)
Three years after hanging up his hat, Charlie bagged the role of Jake O’Reilly in Casualty (2013) before appearing in an episode of the Canadian drama series, Murdoch Mysteries (2015).
A year later, he appeared in Channel 5’s miniseries, Henry VIII & His Six Wives and in 2017 **was cast in the **television documentary Elizabeth and Her Enemies.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the former soap actor put his acting aspirations on hold to begin working as a chef and later at a garden centre.
Opening up about the career change during an episode of Loose Women, Charlie said: “Acting is my first love and career choice, but at the end of the day, I’m a jobbing actor. I’ve got bills to pay and a family to support like everyone else.”
Charlie is now a keen golfer and boasts over 6,000 Instagram followers (Image: INSTAGRAM)
Away from the public eye, the actor tied the knot with his long-term girlfriend Rebecca Clatworthy, with whom he shares three children.
Meanwhile, Charlie remains a keen sportsman and has an Instagram profile dedicated to his golf pursuits.
Last year, he announced his intention to become a greenkeeper – a person who is tasked with maintaining the upkeep of golf courses.
Taking to social media at the time, she shared a picture of himself wearing a bright turquoise polo shirt with the caption: “Swapped the chef whites for the greens.”
