Home and Away’s most controversial real-life couple, Ada Nicodemou (Leah Patterson) and James Stewart (Justin Morgan) have been the centre of many rumours over the past few weeks. Just recently, an insider told Yahoo Lifestyle the pair have been allegedly shunned by multiple people on the cast and crew due to their new relationship.
This is due to James’ ex-wife Sarah Roberts playing Willow Harris on the soap for four years, and her continuing friendships with those who still work on the show. In other words, it’s all a bit awkward.
“I know a lot of the cast and crew aren’t talking to Ada anymore because Ada and Sarah were really good friends,” the insider claimed.
Despite the alleged tension, Ada and James were all smiles as they recently put on a united front on social media.
Friend and co-star Emily Symons, who plays Marilyn Chambers, uploaded a few snaps of herself, Ada, James and Ray Meagher (Alf Stewart) while on set filming Home and Away.
“We are family,” she captioned the post, adding three love heart emojis at the end.
The group had wide smiles pasted on – apart from Ray, who looked grumpy – as they posed for the camera. The group were crowded around an outdoor table, with a cuppa and a plate of biscuits sitting on the table in front of them.
When these photos were reshared in a Facebook fan group, many viewers hoped it would put any rumours of unrest to bed.
“All seems fine with Ada and James’ relationship, don’t think they care,” one person wrote.
“Should kill off any rumours of unhappiness amongst the cast,” another added.
“They look happy together and I can’t see Ray ignoring people… or Emily either. When we met Emily she was friendly and made time to talk to everyone who [asked] for an autograph,” a third chimed in.
“Beautiful family enjoying tea,” another commented.
Inside Ada Nicodemou and James Stewart’s ‘hard-launch’ plan at The Logies
This comes after a source told Daily Mail the controversial couple planned to go public with their relationship at the Logies. While they’ve been papped kissing, neither party has confirmed their dating status.
“Ada especially loves this event,” the source said. “Going together would be the perfect way to very publicly announce that they are a couple.”
However, another TV insider told PEDESTRIAN.TV that Ada and James flaunting their new relationship at the Logies wouldn’t go down well with everybody involved.
“On one hand, hard launching at the Logies is a Channel Seven publicity dream – they love a cheap headline,” the insider claimed, before adding it appeared insensitive “to their former partners and cast members who are collateral damage in this breakup.”
It’s unclear if these plans will have been dampened by the major Logies snub that saw Home and Away be nominated for just one Logie Award this year. The Aussie soap is the most awarded program in Logies history, taking home a whopping 49 awards since its inception in 1988.
The show received six nominations last year, and was nominated for the ‘Most Popular Drama Series’ every single year from 2004 to 2023.
We’ll get to see what happens if Ada and James step out onto the red carpet together at the 64th TV WEEK Logie Awards on August 18.