Home & Away ‘copper’ Charlie Buckton: Life after the soap as a busy mum of two & 8 years of marriage
Esther Anderson played fan favourite Charlie Buckton on Home and Away and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children, who have moved back to Australia after living in LA
Irish audiences have demonstrated a deep affection for Australian soaps during the 90s, 2000s and 2010s.
Among them, Home and Away secured a special place in many hearts as one of the most dramatic serials onscreen, introducing viewers to some unforgettable fictional personalities.
Arguably, Summer Bay’s beloved copper Charlie Buckton stole hearts from 2008 to 2012 with her chaotic love story involving the town’s notorious rebel Darryl “Brax” Braxton.
We all recall the heart-wrenching scene where, on her final day as a Summer Bay police officer, she was shot by the revengeful Jake Pirovic (Fletcher Humphrys). Her daughter Ruby and love Brax were left with no choice but to switch off her life-support machine.
As their characters tangled through a narrative with constant conflict between love and law, whispers began to circulate that the actors behind these passionate roles might be sharing more than just on-screen chemistry.
Nevertheless, Esther has always dismissed such rumours.
Speaking with New Idea magazine in 2011, she expressed: “I guess it’s a compliment to my acting, which is good. That’s what you want [but] we are just friends. Steve’s one of the most talented actors I’ve ever worked with and he’s completely humble about it. He’s brought out the best in my acting as well.”
She continued to clarify her relationship status at the time by saying, “I’m single. But I’m really happy where I am. I don’t feel like there is anything missing and I think I kind of feel, in a way, a bit excited that I’ve still got the relationship side of things to look forward to when it happens.”
Esther’s tenure as Charlie wrapped up with her character leaving the series in the thrilling finale of 2011, and since then, she’s ventured into a range of different projects.
Around 2015, she crossed paths with her future husband Howard Moggs, and they got engaged in February 2016.
They tied the knot in 2017, and lived in Los Angeles, California, for a number of years, where they got engaged at their newly purchased home on Valentine’s Day.
Recalling the moment, Esther said she thought Howard wanted to celebrate their new home. He arranged tea lights in the garden, brought out champagne, and proposed right then and there.
They tied the knot back in Australia – Esther is originally from Victoria’s Geelong – in an intimate and romantic ceremony.
Celebrating their five-year wedding anniversary in 2022 Esther posted on Instagram: “Happy Anniversary my love! Even though 2 of the 5 years has been during a pandemic… we have still had some pretty amazing adventures together…looking forward to all the ones to come.”
They have since relocated back to Australia.
The couple welcomed their first child, a boy named Forrest, in 2018.
She announced her second pregnancy in April of 2022. Sharing her joy online, she exclaimed: “The 3 of us….soon to be 4! ! ! ”
Their second baby is named Ralph Harlan Moggs, and was born in October 2022.
She’s often lauded as a doppelganger to Elizabeth Hurley and has been keeping busy post Home and Away with various TV projects, such as Siberia and Broken Contract. Moreover, she popped up in Neighbours for a brief visit before the iconic show’s cancellation.
