LIFE is a world away from Walford for Charlie Clements after he left EastEnders in a dramatic storyline back in 2010.
The actor, now 37, played Bradley Branning from 2006 to 2010 and was introduced to the Square as the son of Max (played by Jake Wood)
and Rachel Branning (Suki Smith).
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Viewers will remember him as a mild mannered, serious young man, who married Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner).
At the time viewers dubbed him ‘Boring Bradley’ but one of his most memorable storylines was when his wife Stacey did the dirty on him with his dad Max, breaking his heart.
Bradley went on to have his own affair with beautician Preeti Choraria (Babita Pohoomull) and was once taken hostage by Nick Cotton (John Altman) in Ian Beale’s (Adam Woodyatt) café.
However, he met his untimely end in February 2010 during a special live episode to mark EastEnders’ 25th anniversary.
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He fell dramatically from the roof of the Queen Victoria pub while being chased by police after admitting he killed Archie Mitchell.
At the time he said of his departure: “Time to move on and take on some new roles.
“I will always be grateful to EastEnders – I have had the privilege of working with some wonderful people whilst being given some fantastic storylines.”
He told The Express, it was “scary” to think about a post-EastEnders life, saying: “It takes up so much of your life. I guess it’s auditions, auditions, auditions for me. I just hope I get work.”
It took some time but he got the part 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.
EastEnders’ Bradley Branning proposes to Stacey Slater
However, the COVID pandemic saw him swap acting for a more ordinary life, working as a chef and later at a garden centre.
He and his wife Rebecca Clatworthy have three children and with family life comes new responsibilities.
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.”
When he is not working, Charlie loves to get on the golf course. His Instagram profile shows his passion for the sport.
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