'EastEnders' star Charlie Clements aka Bradley Branning got job in a garden centre
Former EastEnders star Charlie Clements has been working in a garden centre to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 33-year-old actor – best known for playing Bradley Branning in the BBC soap from 2006 to 2010 – has a part in hit West End play Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, but has been working in his local garden centre while theatres were closed during lockdown.
Clements told The Metro he started working as a chef, explaining: "I’d always enjoyed cooking so I applied and they took me on. I was thrown in at the deep end. It was hard work but I’ve enjoyed it.
"I started in November 2019. Acting will always be my first love but I got to the point, like a lot of actors do, where you’re not always going to be working and you need to find other ways of supporting yourself and your family."
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The ex-soap star is father to a seven-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter.
When the restaurant was closed due to lockdown restriction he was moved into the plant department.
He said: "I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve found a new love for plants that I didn’t realise I had. I’ve learned so much and it was great for me because it meant all the bills were paid, and the kids were clothed and fed. I’ve handed my notice in, though, to focus fully on The Mousetrap."
Clements – whose EastEnders character was killed off when he fell from the roof of the Queen Vic pub – is not the only soap star to have got a 'normal' day job between acting gigs.
Fellow EastEnders star Katie Jarvis - who played Hayley Slater in the BBC soap between February 2018 and February 2019 - was revealed by a tabloid newspaper to be working as a security guard at B&M Bargains in east London in 2019.
The 29-year-old mother-of-two spoke out against 'job shaming' saying: "All actors go through it... I don’t think anyone should be made to feel like I did - job shaming. As long as you’re working that’s all that matters.”
And other soap stars came out in support, revealing their own 'regular' jobs.
Fellow ex-EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite wrote: “I am a landlady, a voice over artist, car boot salesperson, art dealer, up cyclist, interior designer, motivational speaker, and many other jobs... it’s what artists do to earn a living. They work in between jobs."
Former Hollyoaks actress Bronagh Waugh tweeted: “Since leaving Hollyoaks I have had some amazing TV & film gigs but I've also had loads of times of being out of 'work' so have worked as a nanny, a cleaner, and a teacher and I am proud of every single one of those jobs. I don't know her but Katie Jarvis seems like a BOSS.”
During lockdown comedian Jason Manford revealed he had applied for a position at the supermarket chain to help out amid the coronavirus pandemic - but had been turned down.
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The father-of-six ended up taking a volunteer role driving OAPs to their medical appointments.
And former X Factor contestant Andy Abraham returned to his job as a refuse collector.
The 56-year-old singer - who finished in second place behind Shayne Ward on The X Factor in 2005 - said: "I'm back to being the official singing binman, which is kind of cool. I'm just enjoying keeping my feet on the ground."
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