Home and Away Leah star opens up on co-star bond and admits soap has been ‘draining’

Home and Away stars Ada Nicodemou and James Stewart have opened up about their 25-year long friendship.

The actors have portrayed Summer Bay couple Leah Patterson and Justin Morgan since 2019. Four years later, the soap duo still enjoy working together, with James telling New Idea: “Working with Ada is always so easy.”

“It’s a joy,” he added. Ada, who has starred as Leah since 2000, first met James while filming Aussie drama Breakers in 1998. They reunited nearly 20 years later, when James, 48, landed the role of Justin in 2016.

The on-screen couple have had their fair share of harrowing storylines, most recently being abducted and left for dead by the notorious Vita Nova cult. Their lives came under threat once again during Wednesday’s episode (January 17) when a member of the cult attempted to murder Justin while he recovered in hospital.

While it seemed like the nightmare was over after Jordan was arrested, the ordeal has only just begun for Leah. Next week, she begins having vivid nightmares of their kidnap and Justin’s subsequent health crisis.

Discussing the traumatic scenes, the 46-year-old admitted: “It’s been challenging. Filming this storyline has been quite draining – but it’s a really important story to tell.”

She added: “I’ve had a lot of big storylines over the past year, so it’s been really good career-wise.” Ada and James’ schedule is jam-packed while on set, therefore it’s no surprise they both enjoy spending their downtime with their families.

The actress has been in a relationship with Adam Rigby since 2016 and is a doting mother to son Johnas, 11. While James has been married to Home and Away co-star Sarah Roberts since 2019 and has a daughter named Scout, also 11, from a previous relationship.

“We’ve both got great lives outside of work, so what we like to do is come in to work, have a laugh, get the job done and then get home to our kids,” James said. He added: “Ada has given me a couple of notes on raising a daughter when I’ve asked her questions and she’s got questions for me too, sometimes.”

Despite the full-on filming schedule in store for 2024, Ada confessed she is ready to head back to work with her Summer Bay family. “Home and Away is like my other family to me,” she gushed. “That’s why I’ve stayed with the show for so many years! It’s really lovely to work with Jimmy because he’s so passionate about the work, which means I am too. We all support each other in the Bay – it’s really lovely.”