Ada Nicodemou has opened up on her romance with Home and Away co-star James Stewart after months of speculation.
Appearing on Sunrise, the 47-year-old confirmed she was in a relationship with 48-year-old Stewart, who also plays her partner on-screen.
Rumours first emerged that the pair were an item when they were snapped sharing a kiss in April 2024.
‘’Look, you know, whether (the romance) is out there or not, it doesn’t really change our relationship,’’ Nicodemou told Sunrise on July 22.
‘’We’re happy. We’re together,’’ she added, breaking into a wide smile.
‘’James is such an amazing actor. I love working with him. That’s not changed as well.
‘’Yeah, so whether it’s out there or not doesn’t really change anything for us.’’
Asked how they kept their professional and personal lives separate, Nicodemou said: ‘’We’re professionals, you know, we respect each other.’’
‘’We turn up to work … obviously, we’ve got a lot of scenes together,’’ she added. ‘’We’ve always had a lot of scenes together, but no, no, they’re very separate things.’’
The actors have known each other for a long time. They first met on the set of Australian TV seriesBreakers in 1988 and have worked together on Home and Away for the past seven years.
But romance blossomed in early 2024, when Nicodemou split from her ex-partner Adam Rigby and Stewart from his ex-wife Sarah Roberts.
Both Nicodemou and Stewart have children from previous relationships.
Stewart shares daughter Scout with ex-partner Jessica Marais, while Nicodemou has a son, Johnas, with ex–husband Chrys Xipolatis.
While the Stewart-Nicodemou pairing might have come as a shock to some fans, there was already speculation that Stewart and Roberts were no longer a couple when they slowly disappeared from each others’ social media accounts.
The split was finally confirmed when Roberts gave an interview to Stellar in April 2024.
‘’Sometimes people grow apart and that’s okay,’’ she told the outlet. ‘’I got to a point where I realised I couldn’t grow in the way I wanted to within this particular relationship.’’
According to Woman’s Day, Stewart’s subsequent pairing with Nicodemou initially sparked some concerns on the Home and Away set.
A source told the outlet that long-term Home and Away stars Ray Meagher, Emily Symons and Lynne McGranger were ‘’worried’’ about Nicodemou and ‘’keeping an eye’’ on her.
‘’Most people are just worried about Ada. Ray and Lynne aren’t the kind of people to get involved in someone else’s business and will be keeping their heads down, but they will have raised concerns with her,’’ the source claimed.
But if there was any sign of tension on the Home and Away set, Nicodemou wasn’t letting on.
She happily celebrated Ray Meagher’s 80th birthday with a host of other co-stars and former cast members, including Stewart, Georgie Parker and Kate Ritchie, on July 4.
In one photo posted by Stewart from the day, he, Nicodemou, Symons and Georgie Parker were shown looking tight-knit as they posed alongside Meagher.
‘’Happy birthday mate!’’ Stewart captioned the post.
Nicodemou’s Instagram tribute to Meagher was heart-felt, with the actress describing the industry stalwart as her ‘’father figure’’ and ‘’life coach.’’
‘’I know everyone calls him an Aussie icon, but to me Ray you are that and more,’’ she wrote.
‘’You’re a father figure, a friend, financial planner and all round life coach.You are the first person I think of when I need advice or have news to tell you.
‘’I look up to you in every way, you really are my role model and the best person to have a laugh with and a drink.’’
