Outside the sandy shores of Summer Bay, many Home and Away stars past and present are wrangling kids of their own – with hopefully less drama than the iconic soap tends to deal with.
From Cameron Daddo’s multi-kid brood to Shane Withington’s grown-up daughter following in his footsteps and Jake Ryan and James Stewart’s youngsters, we take a look at our favourite doting dads in real-life from the world of Home and Away.
JAMES STEWART
Scout is the ridiculously cute nine-year-old daughter of Home and Away’s James Stewart, who plays Justin Morgan, and his ex-fiancee Jessica Marais.
“Being a dad has brought me so much joy,” the actor gushed about his daughter to TV WEEK in 2018, adding: “She is my world. She’s the cutest thing I have ever seen.”
CAMERON DADDO
With three decades of marriage under his belt with wife Alison Brahe, Cameron Daddo is well-versed in life as a husband and dad to the couple’s three kids: daughters Lotus, 25 and Bodhi, 15 and son River, 21. “We’re very proud of our kids,” he told Medium in 2018.
JAKE RYAN
New dad Jake Ryan (who played Robbo) and girlfriend Alice Quiddington welcomed their first child together in October 2019, a son named Wolf William Ryan.
Since the bundle of joy’s arrival, Jake has shared numerous sweet snaps of Wolf on Instagram, melting everyone’s hearts in the process.
SHANE WITHINGTON
The apple doesn’t fall from the tree when it comes to Shane Withington’s adult daughter Maddie, who he shares with his partner (and A Country Practice co-star) Anne Tenney.
In 2015, Maddie made a guest appearance on Home and Away where dad Shane portrays John Palmer. Those acting skills must be in the blood!
CHARLIE CLAUSEN
To Home and Away fans, Charlie Clausen is best known as one of Leah’s former husbands, Zac MacGuire. These days he’s got his foot firmly in the parenting world.
Not only does he share one-year-old daughter Iona with wife Gemma, he hosts a parenting podcast called DadPod alongside fellow famous dad, Osher Gunsberg.
Speaking to Now To Love just weeks after his baby’s arrival, Charlie confessed: “We’re definitely in the baby bubble. Like, it is amazing what you’ll put up with when you look down at that cute little face. The amount of, like, yelling and crying and pooey nappies and all that kind of stuff. We’re totally loved up.”
TODD LASANCE
Todd, who played Aden Jefferies from 2005 to 2005, admits fatherhood changed him for the better after welcoming daughter Charlie into the world in July 2016 with wife Jordan.
“The capacity for love and what love means is unbelievable. You think you know what love is and then you have a child and then you’re like ‘Oh my God, this is it.’” Todd told Daily Mail Australia in 2018.
“The depth of emotion I start to feel as well is incredible. Especially for your work as well – as an actor it’s just like the golden ticket because you feel everything so much more intensely. It’s been beautiful on all fronts.”
JACKSON GALLAGHER
The sentiment that fatherhood changes a person for the better is something that Jackson Gallagher (who played Josh Barrett from 2013 to 2016) agrees with.
In a recent interview with TV WEEK, the 30-year-old said welcoming a child changed him “in a great way”.
He explained: “It’s a part of my life, a really wild and enriching part, that I have a lot of love for.”
TAI HARA
Jackson’s on-screen brother, Tai Hara, who played Andy Barrett is a new dad after wife Fely Irvine gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Chi, in October 2020.
“It’s amazing, it’s everything and more. It’s one of those things that people tell you about but until you actually experience it you don’t realise how magical it is,” Tai told Now To Love of being a dad.
“It’s been a beautiful journey so far and Fely is just such an incredible mother.”
ETHAN BROWNE
New Zealand-born Ethan Browne, who plays Tane Parata, is a proud dad to his 13-year-old daughter Aaylah.
With Aaylah seemingly living in New Zealand and Ethan working in Australia on the Home And Away set, the actor recently shared his gratitude for finally being able to reunite with his daughter for Christmas.
The video featured doting dad Ethan catching the young teen off-guard before the pair shared a loving embrace.
“Surprising my daughter after almost a year apart. A moment I have dreamed and fantasized about for so long,” Ethan captioned the post.
