Ricky Sharpe is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Bonnie Sveen. The actress previously made a guest appearance in the show as Hayley Doven in 2010. She also auditioned for the role of Bianca Scott, before she was cast as Ricky in early 2013. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 2 April 2013. Ricky is portrayed as honest, fun, capable and someone with a good heart. Sveen said she shared some similarities with her character, including a passion for surfing. Ricky was introduced as the younger sister of Adam Sharpe (Martin Lynes) and a love interest for Darryl "Brax" Braxton (Steve Peacocke). Adam used Ricky to carry out a revenge scheme against Brax and his brothers.

Brax and Ricky later developed a relationship, which put some pressure on Sveen as Brax's previous relationship with Charlie Buckton (Esther Anderson) had been popular with viewers. Their story arc saw Ricky wait for an incarcerated Brax, a miscarriage, a marriage to Nate Cooper (Kyle Pryor) and another pregnancy, which resulted in the birth of Ricky and Brax's son. Sveen won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent in 2014 for her portrayal of Ricky. In April 2016, it was announced Sveen had left Home and Away after three years to pursue new acting roles, and she made her exit scenes aired on 7 June 2016. Sveen reprised the role in March 2026 for a storyline set and filmed in Western Australia, which revisits Ricky and Brax ten years on.

Casting In the 30 March – 5 April 2013 edition of TV Week, Erin Miller reported that actress Bonnie Sveen had been cast as Ricky Sharpe, a potential love interest for established character Darryl Braxton (Steve Peacocke). Sveen previously appeared in the small guest role of Hayley Doven in 2010. She later auditioned for the role of Bianca Scott, but Lisa Gormley was cast instead. Sveen told Tim Martain from The Mercury that she was "thrilled" to receive the ongoing role of Ricky. She continued, "I wanted Ricky more than anything I've ever auditioned for. I often think of my Nan [a huge fan of the show]. Home and Away was often on the telly at her house...and now I'm a River Girl." Sveen made her first screen appearance as Ricky on 2 April 2013.

Development

Characterisation

In her fictional backstory, Ricky was surround by criminal activity due to her elder brother Adam Sharpe (Martin Lynes). When she was a teenager she rebelled against that world. Sveen explained that she put a lot of herself into the role, and described Ricky as "boisterous and fun", with "a wicked sense of humour". Ricky also has a fragile side and a good heart. Sveen said she was very similar to Ricky and stated, "We have the Huon River at home in Tasmania, so I guess I'm a bit of a 'River Girl' in real life! I have two brothers, and I grew up with a lot of male friends, so I can identify with Ricky being surrounded by all those Braxton boys." Sveen also said that they both loved their surfboards and that she had noticed that Ricky had become "more girlie" than when she first appeared. As Ricky is a pro surfer, Sveen took lessons on how to surf and hold the boards the right way. She explained, "I was pretty hungry to spend as much time as I could in and around the water and so made sure it became a big part of my life."

Introduction Ricky came to Summer Bay to attend Heath Braxton's (Dan Ewing) engagement party. Ricky was a friend of the family. Peacocke commented, "Ricky was always the cheeky younger sister. She was always too young, but now she's grown up and looks great!" Ricky and Darryl Braxton (Steve Peacocke) spent the party getting reacquainted and Brax expressed his sorrow about Adam's death. Ricky and Brax later went back to his house and had a one-night stand. Peacocke said there was a spark between the characters and he believed Ricky would help take Brax back to a happier time. Sveen confirmed that Ricky was hiding a big secret, which made her cautious about starting a relationship with Brax, so she tried to keep him "at arm's length". Brax became curious about Ricky's past when he learned the police wanted to speak with her. Brax admitted that he had developed feelings for Ricky, in an attempt to get her to open up to him. Sveen commented, "Initially, she doesn't believe what he's telling her and is a bit terrified. She wants nothing more than to tell him what's going on, as that would simplify everything if she could be up-front." It later emerged that Adam was alive and using Ricky to exact his revenge on Brax and his brothers, as he believed that they had left him for dead.

When Ricky started to develop genuine feelings for Brax, she decided to end their relationship to protect him. She then visited Adam at his beach-side house, where he was recovering from the injuries he sustained in the roadside collision. Adam told Ricky that the Braxtons were "the scum of the earth" for leaving him to die, but she started to have doubts about his story as she had come to realise who the family really were. As part of the revenge scheme, Ricky used Brax's laptop to transfer a large sum of money into Connie Callahan's (Celia Ireland) bank account, in the hope that Connie would assume that Heath had sent her "dirty money" and revoke access to his daughter. The scheme helped to drive a wedge between the brothers, as Heath assumed that Brax had sent Connie the money to convince her to keep him away from his daughter. Ricky began to have regrets about the scheme and told Adam that Brax cared about him. However, Adam refused to listen and threatened to kill Brax if she did not do as she was told. Peacocke commented, "It's a really compromising situation. Adam is lying about this bloke she has started to fall in love with, and she's gutted because she is realising that Adam has got it all wrong." With Ricky's help, Adam framed Casey Braxton (Lincoln Younes) for armed robbery leading to his arrest. Realising that they had gone too far, Ricky pleaded with Adam to stop his revenge campaign against the Braxtons.

When she threatened to tell Brax the truth, Adam ordered Ricky to be held hostage alongside Tamara Kingsley (Kelly Paterniti), Casey's girlfriend. He then tried told Brax to choose which woman he wanted to save. Meanwhile, Tamara was shocked to learn that Ricky had been in on the plan from the start. Ricky convinced Tamara to trust her, before she seduced their guard and escaped. However, Tamara was too slow and the guard caught her. Ricky was also recaptured and Adam threatened to kill them both. After Brax and Kyle rescued a badly injured Tamara, Brax tried to get to Ricky before Adam could hurt her. He arranged to meet Adam at a warehouse, where he rescued Ricky. She tried to warn him that the whole thing was a trap, but Brax refused to leave her and Adam shot him. During the subsequent court case, Ricky knew there was a strong chance that she would be handed a prison sentence. Peacocke told an Inside Soap reporter that Brax realised that if he told the court that he and Ricky were in a relationship, he could avoid testifying against her. When Tamara, who was suffering with amnesia, took to the stand, she managed to recall that Ricky had tried to help her, which resulted in Ricky getting a suspended sentence.

Relationships

Darryl Braxton

Sveen admitted that she felt some pressure being cast as a love interest for Brax, following his popular relationship with Charlie Buckton (Esther Anderson). She said fans should accept that Ricky is "an entirely different character" that already shared history with the Braxtons. Having forgiven Ricky for her part in Adam's revenge scheme, Brax asked her to move in with him, causing a rift in the family. Ricky's initial instinct was to turn the offer down, knowing how much it would upset Casey. But she eventually changed her mind and accepted. Sveen told Gavin Scott from TV Week that Ricky was "still in disbelief" that Brax's love for her had over ridden everything that had happened. She also explained that as Ricky had known them all her life, she did not want to get in the way of Brax and Casey's relationship. Casey was displeased upon learning that Ricky was moving in, leaving her stuck in the middle as he and Brax argued.

A few months later, Brax started acting out of character when the Barrett brothers turned up in the Bay. His mysterious behaviour caused concern for Ricky and she was "disturbed by his inability to share". Ricky initially suspected that Josh Barrett (Jackson Gallagher) was Brax's son, but Brax soon admitted to accidentally killing Josh's father Johnny (Stephen Anderton). Speaking to Erin Miller of TV Week, Sveen told her that Ricky was "devastated" about Brax's confession and she also worried about how Brax would go about trying to redeem himself. Ricky begged Brax to keep quiet about Johnny's death, but he went to the police. After being found guilty of manslaughter, Brax was sent to prison for fifteen years. During their first visitation, Ricky was forced to consider how long they would be parted for. Sveen commented that Ricky was "heartbroken" as they were going to spend the rest of their lives together, and it was suddenly taken away from them. After Brax was led back to his cell, Ricky broke down in tears.

Shortly after another prison visit, Ricky fainted. She turned to Nate Cooper (Kyle Pryor) for help and he suggested that she might be pregnant. Ricky took a pregnancy which came back positive. Kyle offered her his support and agreed not to tell his brothers when she asked. Of the development, Sveen stated "Ricky is so torn every way she turns and has no idea what to do. The strange thing about this is, despite Ricky being so maternal and protective of the people around her, she never thought she would become a mother. She just never considered it would be an option for her." Sveen noted that while Ricky was conflicted, a baby would make the connection between Ricky and Brax stronger. Before Ricky could tell Brax about the pregnancy, he ended their relationship. Sveen called the scenes "taxing" and told Tvnz.co.nz that filming the story had "really hurt". Ricky later miscarried the baby.

After learning that Adam was present when Johnny was killed, Ricky and Casey visited him in prison and learned he was actually responsible. They persuaded Adam to confess to Johnny's murder and Brax was freed. He was initially hopeful that he and Ricky would reunite, but he then learned that she dating Nate. While Brax respected Nate, he made it clear to him that he wanted Ricky back. When Ricky went to London for a job, Brax followed her and declared his love for her. Ricky rejected him, but he refused to give up and later crashed her photography assignment. Sveen told Rebecca Lake of TV Week that while Ricky thought Brax's gesture in London was romantic, he also sabotaged the biggest opportunity of her life. After Brax was rushed to the hospital with a blood clot, Ricky remained by his side and she contemplated giving their relationship a second chance. Ricky and Brax later had sex, which left Ricky questioning whether she had made a mistake. However, with some good advice from Hannah Wilson (Cassie Howarth), Ricky and Brax reunited.