Peacocke's Summer Bay rugby ban

Home And Away star Steve Peacocke has revealed he has been banned from playing rugby by the show's bosses.

The 30-year-old soap star has always wanted to be an actor, but used to be a keen amateur rugby player as well. He plays River Boy Darryl 'Brax' Braxton, and already has to spend an hour in the make-up chair having his character's tattoos painted on, so the make-up team weren't pleased when he came to work with injuries from a rugby match.

Steve said: "I played two games last year, just lower grade, but I got banned because my face got smashed up - I lost all the skin on one side. There was a whole week's worth of shooting where they could only shoot one side of my face."

But the passionate actor doesn't mind sacrificing his sport.

He added: "I had to stop playing footie. Which doesn't bother me - I think I had 19 seasons before that. And I was never going to play for the Wallabies, so I don't miss it too much. No more balls for me."

Steve is delighted to be part of Home And Away after years of struggling to get into the business.

He revealed: "Any time I've ever had to whinge on this show, which is very infrequently because it's amazing, but the few times I've had to get in the water when it's freezing I just remind myself that only two-and-half years ago I was doing the most boring monotonous jobs, and I'd been doing them for seven years.

"So nothing they can throw at me is ever going to make me complain. It's the greatest job I've ever had. It's the greatest job in the world. And you get paid for it - that's the criminal part!"