In August 2023, former Home and Away star Stephen Peacocke got candid about fatherhood for the first time.
“You take it in your stride,” the actor told Perth Now. “It’s a bit less sleep, but it’s all good”.
Is Stephen Peacocke a dad?
The comments may have come as a surprise, not least because many fans who remember the actor for his stint as Darryl “Brax” Braxton on the hit Channel 7 show didn’t know that he was a dad in the first place.
The star – who later charmed a whole new audience as Pete Emerson in RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service – is famously tight-lipped about his personal life with his wife, fellow Home and Away star Bridgette Sneddon.
Who did Bridgette Sneddon play in Home and Away?
Stephen and Bridgette first met at university drama classes, but they became co-stars when Bridgette was cast to play Sophie Taylor just at the point where Stephen was reaching the heights of his Home and Away fame.
In 2014, Stephen was wrongly linked with his Home and Away on-screen love interest Bonnie Sveen.
It led the star to speak out publicly about his and Bridgette’s relationship, telling News Corp, “As a couple, we don’t ever chase the social scene, we’re not on social media, we’re not often in the limelight”.
“We do what we have to do for work, and that’s it. Bridgette and I are still very much together.”
Indeed, Stephen and Bridgette married in 2014 in a private ceremony after being together for a decade.
“She’s been with me when I had no money and looked like a loser to most people, so she’s not there because I’m on TV,” Stephen revealed in rare comments to the Daily Telegraph when he confirmed their engagement. “She’s my best mate and the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. I’m lucky!”
In the same interview, he admitted, “I just always thought it’s better to keep all that kind of private stuff for us”.
He later told the Daily Telegraph that his wedding day had been the “best day of my life”.
“We had a reverend from the Southern Highlands come and marry us, the sun was out, and it was the perfect day with family and friends,” the actor said.
Does Stephen Peacocke have a baby?
More happy news would follow for Stephen and Bridgette, with the pair later welcoming a baby girl.
Unsurprisingly, however, the couple did not announce the birth or reveal the name of their daughter, with fans only alerted after pictures surfaced of Stephen with a baby girl during filming for RFDS in 2023.
In the photos, the little girl sported a pink beanie with the letter “O” stitched on to it, suggesting that her name begins with the letter.
Stephen told 7NEWS.com.au that being immersed in the world of the Royal Flying Doctor Service had made him and Bridgette think about the importance of doing a first aid course.
“You do all those first aid courses, we did one before we started a family,” the actor said.
“I think it’s good stuff to know for sure. I think it doesn’t take long to work out the basics.”
In the same interview, the star said that being able to return to rural Australia alongside his family had been a “dream job” for him.
“When I grew up in Dubbo, it was about 20,000 people, which is probably not far from what Broken Hill is now, but Broken Hill is just so isolated from the East Coast,” he told the outlet.
“So you feel like you’re more in the proper bush out there, it’s great.
“If I could live in the bush and then travel to the city when I had to, I’d do that,” the star admitted.
“So to be able to do a job, acting is the greatest fun for me to do, to be able to do that in the outback with all these types of people that I have grown up with is an absolute treat.”
While travel has become a part of life with his career success, Stephen told 7NEWS that it was a treat that came later in life – with the star aged 28 when he traveled properly for the first time.
“I just had no money and I was working,” he explained.
“I finished uni and then basically became a labourer for a decade until I was lucky enough to land the Home and Away role.
“I just had no money to travel, all my mates were travelling and I was sort of at home trying to keep the electricity on,” he added.
“Then I got this job that has sort of taken us all over the place… we’re pretty lucky.”
What is Steve Peacocke doing now?
In August 2025, fans were shocked when it was revealed that Stephen and his former co-star Bonnie Sveen would return to Home and Away in 2026 for episodes filmed in Western Australia.
The show will revisit the pair’s on-screen love story – with some high-stakes drama thrown in for good measure.
“When the producers asked if I’d revisit Brax, it felt like a fun opportunity — and one I think the audience will really enjoy,” Stephen told 7NEWS.
“Filming in spectacular outback Western Australia is the icing on the cake.
“I’ll always be grateful to Home And Away for being the launchpad to my career, and I’ve got a sincere appreciation for the fans who have followed my work since.”
Bonnie – who plays Erica “Ricky” Sharpe – was equally thrilled with her return to the small screen.
“Bringing Ricky back wasn’t something I’d ever expected, so I’m beyond thrilled to reunite with Steve and old friends at Home And Away,” the star told 7NEWS.
“Exploring where Ricky and Brax are now, 10 years on, will make for a very special and compelling storyline, and I can’t wait for our WA filming adventure.”
Filming is set to begin in October 2025 at various locations across WA.
