Months have passed since Ada Nicodemou and James Stewart confirmed their relationship, however, Ada has now shared further details about how their friendship transformed into romantic feelings.
The two have known each other for 25 to 30 years and yet, Ada told Mamamia’s No Filter that “there were no feelings for a really, really long time.”
“I was shocked when I started having feelings. There was this chemistry for the first time — this spark that happened that wasn’t there before and it was weird,” she said.
A little over a week after making their relationship public, Ada opened up about their “unexpected” romance.
“We’ve been friends for a really long time. It wasn’t something we saw coming, but we’re happy, and it’s really wonderful,” she shared on the Hughesy, Ed, and Erin show.
As co-stars on Home and Away – portraying married couple Leah and Justin – Ada stressed that she and James keep things professional on set.
“We keep it all very separate,” she said. “We’ve always been very comfortable working with each other.”
The actress confirmed their romance in July 2024 during an interview with Stellar magazine.
“Jimmy and I are together, yes,” the mother-of-one said.
“At 47, you know what you want and what you don’t. It’s only early days.”
Ada and James first sparked romance rumours after sharing a kiss outside a Sydney pub on ANZAC Day, 2024.
Since then they have been spotted on multiple occasions with James’ daughter Scout. Ada also has a child, a son named Johnas.
The 47-year-old also showed her support for James from the audience of Dancing With The Stars in July 2024.
Though Ada and James have been co-stars on Home and Away for seven years, they first met while filming the Australian drama Breakers in 1998.
Their relationship began following their respective breakups. Ada reportedly ended her relationship with Adam Rigby in late 2023, while James’ ex-wife, Sarah Roberts, announced their divorce in April 2024.
