September 29, 2024 • 35 mins
You can hear part two of Mia's conversation with Ada here.
Ada Nicodemou is in love again…with her longtime co-star and on-screen husband, James Stewart.
Ada Nicodemou has played the character of Leah Patterson on our screens for 24 years as one of the most iconic stars of Home & Away. In this exclusive interview, Ada tells Mia how the last few years have seen her choose herself after a lifetime of choosing others.
They discuss the complexities of ending relationships and blended families, of dealing with paparazzi and tabloid culture, of ageing and beauty standards for women in the public eye, and…what it’s like to kiss your on-screen partner off screen for the first time…
Ada also shares her dreams and ambitions for the future…in so many ways, she’s just getting started.
You can follow Ada on Instagram here.
You can listen to our 2018 conversation with Ada here.
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CREDITS:
Host: Mia Freedman
You can find Mia on Instagram here and get her newsletter here.
Executive Producer: Naima Brown
Audio Producer: Thom Lion
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
You're listening to Amma mea podcast. Mama Mia acknowledges the
traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast is
recorded on.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Jimmy and I have known each other for like twenty
five thirty years, I think, so there was no feelings
for a really, really long time. So I was shocked
when I started having feelings.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
From Mamma Mia. You're listening to No Filter and I'm
Meya Friedman. You know, a few weeks ago I went
to the logis and you may have heard about it
because I posted so much on my socials and I
talked about it on Mama Mea out loud because well,
I don't get out much. And there's something about the cheesy,
homegrown nature of the logies that appeals to everyone over
(00:58):
the age of I don't know, probably around twenty five.
Gen Z's meanwhile, probably couldn't name a single person who
was on that Logi's red carpet, or locate a commercial
TV channel on their TV if they even have TV.
They probably just watch on their phones. But stop any
Australian on the street, no matter how well they are,
and I bet they will have heard of the show
Home and Away to Get You and there is no
(01:27):
more iconic star of this show than Nata Nikodimo, the
actress who's played the character of Leah for twenty four years,
since she was twenty three years old, so more than
half her life and a lot has happened to Leah
the character in that time. Can you imagine, so piers
are like dog years. Her character has had a few
husbands dye in her She's had many love interests. She's
(01:50):
experienced racism and anxiety and single parenthood. So yeah, it's
been a busy time. And in the eight years that
her co star James Stewart has been playing the role
of Justin on Home and Away, AIDA's character and James's
characters have interacted and kind of circled each other in
the great tradition of soap operas, until they became romantically
(02:13):
involved and then had a very big romantic TV wedding
earlier this year.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I will always love you. You never gave ups, even
when I asked you to.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
If you don't watch Home and Away, but you are
around my age. Probably the best comparison would be Scott
and Charlene in Neighbours in the eighties or the nineties.
In real life, Ada was married for many years to
the father of her twelve year old son, a guy
called Chris, and after they divorced, she was in another
(02:47):
long term relationship with a guy called Adam. And neither
of these men were famous. You probably don't even know
their names. I had to look them up because her
private life was not the stuff of gossip columns. It
was very much on the down low. But after Ada
split with her partner a while ago and James Stewart
got divorced from his wife, there had been rumors that
(03:08):
they're on screen shep had spilled over to their real life.
So when Aida walked onto the Logi stage with James
that night a few weeks ago and they were holding
hands with big grins on their faces, I did a
big whoo from the audience because I'm very immature, but
also because this was one hell of a hard launch.
(03:29):
The last time I spoke to Ada, three years ago
on No Filter, she was still with her long term
partner Adam, and James was just her co star. But
a lot can change in a woman's life when she
makes some hard choices and puts herself first. And that's
what this conversation is about. Ada looked more comfortable in
her skin than I'd ever seen her when she walked
(03:49):
into the studio to record this episode of No Filter,
and I began our conversation by asking how she felt
walking onto the stage and effectively announcing to the whole
industry and the whole world, yeah, it is on.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
I was like, I think I skipped it. You see
me skip. I don't know why I skipped, because I'm
an idiot. I was really excited. I was really excited.
I mean, obviously we were going to go to the
Logis anyway, because it's a work event, so we're always going.
And it is the first time that we were photographed
together and all that. I didn't realize that we're going
to be presenting together until probably a month before. But
(04:30):
it was just really nice to share that moment with
him and just to finally go, yeah, we're together, Like
no big deal.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Guys, like except for me in the audience.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
So you know, not that I'm comparing myself to Meryl
Streep here, but I was. I think I was listening
to you guys the other day, and you know, it
was the Spill, and you guys were talking about Meryl
Streep maybe being together with Martin Sure, Martin Sure and
Star and only Murders in the building. And there is
something really exciting when coast stars get together. So I
get it. I totally get.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Do you mean exciting for the fans or exciting for
the co stars?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
No, well, hopefully for the coast, yeah, but no for
the fans. And I really get into TV shows like
I totally do, and I totally go. I wonder if
they're together, we all do, like if Yeah, that's just
what you do. But yes, it was I guess a
little bit of a hard launch, so to speak. But
it was just about us hanging out and having a
great time and we had a great weekend and we
(05:28):
went out for dinner the night before and it was
just really fun.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
How do you decide when to talk about it publicly?
You're not someone who usually gets stalked by paparazzi, not
too much. You do when there's something going on in
your life, but you manage to mostly live your life
out of that spotlight, perhaps because you've been in it
for so many years and you've not before dated anyone
famous that we know of. Yeah, like, how long did
(05:56):
you have to take steps to keep things quiet?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
I don't think it was that strategic. I just think
it was very new. We were just getting together. We
just wanted to do our thing. Unfortunately, when we were papped,
then got out there and we didn't want that again,
so we got papped kissing. I mean it was a
really hot flow was actually where were you? Oh my god?
(06:25):
It looked like we so was anazac day. We were
like played two up and just like at around We're
excited literally no literally like the dorkiest par but we're
like the best day. And we were just getting in
an uber to go back. But we were out the
front of the Ritz and the lights were like, you know,
the lights are on at the Ritz, and he just
gave me a bit of a kiss. We were waiting
(06:46):
for Uber and then next minute we were papped.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Did you know that at the time that you'd been papped?
When you get papped as a famous person, are you
aware or you only know when you see the pictures on.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Arm It depends. In that case. We didn't know until
once we sort of we're not kissing, and then James
saw the car like the pap like sort of further away.
So I think we've been followed all day and which.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
You get thinking feeling it's really really creepy.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
And yeah, I mean okay, everyone knew who needed to
know anyway, Like, it wasn't like we were hiding it
from anyone.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Who was a person you told?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Oh geez, oh my best friends to mine? Yeah yeah,
my best friends of mine? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Was she shocked?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Yeah? Yeah I was shocked.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
You were shocked?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Yeah, I was shocked. Jimmy and I have known each
other for like twenty five thirty years, I think, so
there was no feelings for a really really long time.
So I was shocked when I started having feelings. But yeah,
someone was shocked because she knew how I felt about him,
like all this time. So yes, like he was a
brother yeah, like a friend yeah, like a yeah, like
a work yeah, like a work friend yeah yeah, yeah
(07:52):
was there?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
I mean you had to kiss and stuff as work friends, yeah,
which is not what most people do with their work friends.
It's weird, but acting is weird.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Yeah yeah, yeah, what's.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
That like kissing someone who is just your mate? Is
it just like you feel nothing or you're a human
and you're like, oh yeah it's a nice kiss or
not a nice kiss.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
I think it's kind of weird how I don't feel anything.
I think it's because I've been doing that for nearly
thirty years, Like I've been acting that it is just
choreography and you're in a room, you know what it's like.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
I don't know what it's like.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Well, like I said, no, but you've been you know
producing now, you know, like TV shit, like when you're
filming something or have you seen a kissing scene been filmed?
Speaker 1 (08:32):
I've seen a kissing scene.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Isn't that hilarious?
Speaker 1 (08:34):
That? Yeah? No, I don't like I haven't been on
set that much. I'm more on set for the office
scenes with Strata, so I haven't been on set for
the more intimate scene. Okay, is there isn't an intimacy
coordinator on Home and Aways? There the launchy there is
now it's even just for kissing.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Yeah, I don't know. I've never had an intimacy coordinator,
and I would have liked to throughout the years. I
think it's a real it's a recent thing and I
think gets better, absolutely better. I think it's great that
there's rules. I think it's and again understanding the boreography,
understanding where the other person's going to go, and you
know at this point your hand's going to go here,
(09:14):
and at that point your arm's gonna get like so.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Before there was an intimacy coordinator. I love how you
call it choreography. That's such an interesting way to put it.
Because you are your actors, You're moving and doing things
in a certain order for a camera and an audience.
How did it used to happen before there was an
intimacy coordinator? How did you work out the choreography?
Speaker 2 (09:34):
I think sometimes you just didn't. It was sort of
in the moment. I think it depends, it depends who
the director was. I think it was a little bit rogue.
I don't think we had all of this. We didn't
have all of this beforehand. And you either talk to
your fellow actor beforehand and this is what I'm comfortable with,
this is not what I'm comfortable with. This is what
we need from the scene as well, and with the director.
(09:56):
But other than that, there wasn't a lot of talk.
Like I think it's great that there is now I'm
forty seven, so I can say I'm not comfortable with this,
or I am comfortable with whatever.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
What might you not be comfortable with? What's an example
of what you wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Be comfortable, Well, I wouldn't do any nudity that's.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Not a home and away thing like.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
That would never be proposed to you know, No, but
there might be I don't know, turning up to work
with you know, you could have just little pasty things
on your boobs and you know, I've never done that,
so actually I have. Oh there's something coming up where
our characters skinny dip. But again we were I was
(10:39):
wearing like a full swimming costume and stuff like that.
That's the first time I've ever done something like that
as well. But yeah, I wouldn't be comfortable with being
touched in paces that I'm just not comfortable being touched
in with. Is that the right grammar? You know? And
I don't want to be doing like full on sex
scenes and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
No, can I ask when there's kissing, is there like
rules that like no tongue, no tongue? Is that an
explicit rule or do you do you beforehand just go
just to be clear no tongue or does every reactor
just know that there's never a tongue.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
So every actor knows that there's no tongue. But when
you're just working with an actor for the first time,
you will say that, you will say no tongue Like obviously,
once I worked with Jimmy for a long time, I
wouldn't have to say that because you would just know.
But yeah, when you first tart out with someone, you.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Now that you're actually dating, is their tongue?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
No, it's still like it's choreography. Like it's so weird
because again, going back to my point earlier, you're in
a room full of people, Well that's true, do you
know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Like I forgot about that.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
And actually it's probably even weirder now because I don't
want people think that because we're together, Like it's very professional.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
So you've got a way that your characters kiss, and
then you had to find a way that Aida and
Jimmy kisses Aida and Jimmy.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I don't think we think about it this point.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
What do you think my overthinking it?
Speaker 2 (12:01):
But do you think about how you kiss your husband?
Speaker 1 (12:03):
No? But I don't have to pretend kiss him when
he was my mate for twenty years, when I was
with someone else and he was too, and then it's
like it's very different.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Look I know, but okay, it's kind of like you
have feelings and then you don't like as in it
is just like doing dance moves. So I don't know
whether every other actor feels at me, but I just
turn on. I'm just dancing. Yeah, So like for example,
when I do Dance with the Stars and I'm like
very close dancing with the other dancer.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Also no tongue though, no tongue.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Yeah, everyone knows that it is just choreography, right, and
you can be like very close to someone. Now. I
don't know whether this is normal that you can just
turn off and turn on like this.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
I don't know, But tell me about catching feelings for
someone and the awkwardness of knowing someone really well, because
for most people, and I know it was like this
for you and your past two long term relationships, it's
like the feelings come first before anything happens, before you
get to know the person. It's like either the physical
(13:06):
attraction or the feelings, and then you get to know
them afterwards. But when you do it in reverse and
you fall in love with a friend, yeah, yeah, is
there like one just moment in the movies, like when
you look at him and it's done, Like what, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
It was like it was for me all of a sudden,
I'm like, huh, Like.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
What made you go huh?
Speaker 2 (13:27):
It's kind of like, do you know everything has to
be aligned? But it's like when you, I don't know,
you see things differently. How to explain it, Like it's
like you have chemistry for the first I don't know
what it is. It's just this there's this spark that
happens that wasn't there before, Like it was just a
weird Yeah, it was just a weird like thing that
(13:48):
happened in that moment, Like it was a weird it
was just weird spark.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
After this short break outgrowing old relationships, starting new ones,
navigating blended families with Aida Nicotino. When we last spoke,
you were still with your partner Adam, and you been
divorced from Chris, your husband and the father of your son,
who was at the time nine he's now twelve. Yeah, Jonas,
(14:16):
you had a blended family. I don't know if Adam
did Adam have kids? No, So I wanted to ask
you without delving into your private life. But that's exactly
what I'm doing. But you know, benefits in the news
at the moment, and I've got a lot of friends
who've been part of blended families brought their kids together
with either a step parent and step siblings often and
then when that relationship ends, how do you deconstruct it? Well,
(14:41):
because Jonas spent a lot of his life with Adam.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
With Adam, yeah, and that's still a relationship, you know,
and that's a very important relationship. You know, Adam loves
Jonas and Jonas loves Adam, and they lived together for
a really long time, and you know, you take him
to school and you know, he brought him up as well.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Does he still see Chris as well? His father, his biology,
so we share custody you father's Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Well, no, he's got one father, he's got and I've
always made that really clear. But he's got like I
guess like a step parent or another adult in his
life that has helped to bring him up as well.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
What a great thing for him.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Yeah, I think so, And that's the way I've always
put that. You know, I think he's very lucky to
have Adam in his life. And he's very different to Chris,
so he gets different stuff out of Adam that he
would from Chris. But yeah, that relationship definitely should still
keep going. I think that's really important.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
The decision to end that relationship after quite a long time.
Glennon Doyle talks about this thing about when you've got
a choice between disappointing other people and disappointing yourself, you've
always got to choose to disappoint other people. Was it
a difficult decision?
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Yeah, yeah, I mean.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Of course it was. Yeah, And I'm not really good
at disappointing other people. I always disappoint myself. Absolutely, is it.
It's nothing that just happens overnight when you know the
end of a relationship. It's over a really long period
of time. But yeah, life is short, and you do
you have to be happy. And I did choose myself. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
And what like would your friends say, is different about
you now as opposed to maybe three years ago when
we had a conversation.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Jeez, I don't know, because I'm not trying to think
about what I was like three years ago. What I
can say is me now as opposed to me, say
last year or the year beforehand, is like, I think
I'm more ater again. I feel open, freer. Not saying
that Adam, I was just okay. So it's so hard
when you're you're at different stages of your life, and
(16:48):
you're just different in different stages of your life, and
you need different things and you sometimes just attract different
people in different stages of your life. But I do
feel like I'm more myself than I have been in
a really long time. I laugh a lot. I'm really happy. Yeah,
I'm really happy.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
You seem really happy. It's easy to lose your identity
in a long term relationship, isn't it. And it's not
to say that you can't get it back again within
that relationship, and I think there are times, but yeah,
it can be really tricky.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Yeah, it's and it's both your faults, Like it's always,
like you know, it's not just it just happens.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
So Jonas was nine when we last spoke. He's now twelve.
That's a pretty interesting age for a boy because it's
when you and he have always been so close. Yeah,
and I know that, like twelve thirteen was when my
son's started to pull away from me or you're getting to.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Arsed, Yeah, I know, because it's yeah, he's going into
high school next year.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Yeah, how are you managing with.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
I don't know, Like every time you say that and
I say this to people. You know, my buddy Mia
always says that, you know, you're slowly breaking up with
them every day, and it's I don't know how I'm
going to cope because I'm already studying. Even though we're
really close, I can see he's just growing up and
I can see he's changing. Like and we to the
(18:09):
Swans a few weeks ago, and we were catching public
transport like we always do, and I said to him,
do you know what, buddy, You're gonna work out what bus?
You know, the tram blah blah blah. And he did
it so well like he was, which is great. It's
actually a really good thing. And then like even when
we got to our seats, people were sitting in our
seats and sorry, I'm so sorry, you're just sitting in
(18:32):
our seats. Like he just knew how to get himself
right now. That's lovely, it's actually really great. But he's
needing me less and less, and that's hard. It's really hard.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
It's a weird thing when your job is to make
yourself redundant, and that's the mark of you doing a
good job. Yeah, as a mother, particularly of a son
and a daughter, as well, but with girls it's just different.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Ah, girls, you've got a mum. Girls and their relationships
with their mums. We push each other's buttons. Also, you
know that old saying A daughter is a daughter for life,
a son is best friend until he gets a wife,
or so I've mailed it, but you know what I mean.
And it's like what I always found hardest was that
the way I love my sons and my daughter, but
(19:19):
particularly my sons for this reason it's different, is the
same as when they were two.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Totally.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
The way they love me is different. Like my eyes
light up still when I see them, even my son
who's twenty seven, and their eyes don't light up in
that same way, and that is hard. But if their
eyes didn't light up, you probably wouldn't be have done
such a great job because they need to move away
from you a little bit and find themselves in the
(19:45):
biggest gift you can give them is letting them, not
letting them go completely. But they do come back if
the foundation is there. I'm here to tell you that
they do come back. But it's almost like you've had
all access, all areas, and then the war comes down, slowly, slowly, Yeah.
The other thing I've noticed your social is just your
human sunshine on social media when when you flick through
(20:07):
Instagram and there's just shouting people and Instagram's becoming increasingly
like Twitter in some places. But you seem to have
really found yourself on social in a way that not
many famous people do. Yeah, yeah, tell me about how
you're finding that.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Like so, okay, well what do I like to see?
I like to see people being dickheads, you know, and
I just want to laugh, and I want to relate.
I want to see pretty things as well. Don't get
me wrong. I love all the fashion stuff. I love
all the makeup stuff, such a girl, but I just
like all the dorky real stuff as well. And also,
(20:49):
you know, I like relating to people, and I want
people to relate to me as well, and just you know,
show people what I'm struggling with, like not understanding the
terminology that the kids are saying these days, like what
the hell like this is gibbitty toilet.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
The reel that you made with Jonas was so funny
and he loved it. He's very good.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
I want to ask you some words, and you need
to explain what they are Okay, Sigma, you're cool. You're like,
what's so, I've got a lot of risks. No, I'm
going to put it in a centers. I woke up
today and I was so reals, I'm just gonna slay
(21:32):
the day at home away.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
And I want to ask you about that three years
ago you said to me, because I was asking you
what it's like for him when you're recognized in public,
and you said something that surprised me. You said, he
really likes it now because he understands it and it's
kind of exciting to him that his mum's famous. Even
though he's never known anything different, he can see the
benefits of it now. And you said something like he's
(22:00):
got a real camera eye or his camera hungry or something. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Well, well, I think back then what I was worried
about was that he was fame hungry like that. We
like liked it so much, but it was like really
important to it and he didn't understand. I don't want
him to grow up and go I want to be
a YouTube star, yeah, which he was saying that back then.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Because they're the celebrities that the kids have.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Yeah, and I've seen watching YouTube or time what are
you watching Like it's weird what they watch?
Speaker 1 (22:29):
But I was.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
I don't think he was developed enough to understand all
of that. And I still he still doesn't have a phone.
That's the next thing that tigh school. Maybe I'm struggling
with really hard. Yeah, he just got the watch yesterday
where I can ring him. He doesn't have a phone,
so I'm still sort of trying to navigate all of that.
I now do some videos with him because I think
(22:53):
he understands the difference. Don't let him see the likes,
don't let him understand all the other stuff that comes
with it. But it's how we behave at home. I'm
literally like, we laugh all the time and we do
the dumbest stuff and I kind of like really harassing
him as well.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Isn't it the best?
Speaker 2 (23:11):
It's the best. So any opportunity where I can embarrass him.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
By saying I actually find it really lay all day
on home and away because I know.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
That that's really dorky. He was so embarrassing mum. But yeah,
so I find that stuff really funny. But I still
do live in it. I mainly do it because it
is our relationship, but also I get to embarrass him,
and it's so much.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Of who you are. Like, I don't put my kids
on social I didn't when they were little, not because
I judge anyone who does, but because not so much now.
But in the past, there's swirled quite a bit of
hate around me from certain places and trolls and stuff,
and I've just never wanted to expose them to that,
so I've just kept them away. But like, there's so
much a part of who I am and my identity
(23:55):
and my life that it feels like I'm not showing
my whole self. So I understand for you, because just
everyone loves you. It's beautiful to be able to show
that side of yourself, which is you as a mother.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Yeah, but I still think I have to guard it
a little bit. Like you know, sometimes at school people
do look me up, and there has been sort of
those moments where he gets really upset and they'll show
him stuff that they shouldn't be showing him.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
What's the worst thing someone could google about you?
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Oh? Well, the worst thing that happened to Jonas was
that they googled me and they found stuff about Harrison
and then they were talking to him about it, and
that came up again because we had the anniversary of
his passing not that long ago, and it happened again.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
Harrison is Jonas's brother who you tragically lost when he
was still born. And Jonas knows about Harrison obviousness, of
course he does, but it's not something that he wants
to talk.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
About, No, And he was really upset about it, and
and I was so upset that that happened again. But
I said, buddy, Wit, unfortunately, that's going to happen, you know,
and as you go into high school, it's going to happen.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
There's the kids being mean about it or they were
just like it just felt inappropriate, and he didn't want
to talk about about it.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
I think it was a bit of both, Yeah, yeah
and yeah. So I just said, this's going to happen.
I think as he goes into high school, there's going
to be teenage boys that are going to google stuff
and they're going to say stuff to him.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
At least there aren't nouds out of you around, you know,
like they could have been. Imagine that that.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Would exactly exactly. But we need a few lines. We
need a few lines that you say and that you're
prepared like that's going to happen, So let's prepare you
for it. But it's awful, like I've chosen this job
like he hasn't. But yeah, it's going to happen.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
After this short break. How does they navigate fame the
perhaps and what do you do when your life becomes clickbait?
How it's fame changed. You've been famous for so long,
since you're a kid. And like back in the day,
it was very there were rules or there were guardrails
(26:03):
for it. Like famous people would sell stories about their
weddings or about their baby and they would be paid
for those and they were nice. Pictures would be done
and they would give an interview and the interview would
be nice, and it was all very controlled. Yes, and
now was it or wasn't it. No, that's how it
was from the outside.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Yeah, like yes, there was. But also like there was
more paps around. I think back then, and I think
there was more money to be made because there was
more mags out.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Before there was social media and you could control your
own Yeah, have your own voice out there.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
So in one respect, now at least you can control
a little bit of it. There's less paps and unless
you know you're kissing your co star father Ritz. You're
not really getting followed, so it is quite controlled, I
think now as opposed to then. But you know everyone
didn't have camera phones back then. Oh yeah as well,
(26:59):
thank god?
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Can you imagine?
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Thank god? Like when we were growing up, you know,
we were all sixteen seventeen eighteen, like we all went
to nightclub like, thank god that there isn't. But now
wherever you are people can take Like you're in Coles,
people are taking a photo of you.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
What do you do when that happens?
Speaker 2 (27:16):
I always take a photo?
Speaker 1 (27:18):
What do you mean? Oh no, I don't mean when
they come up. But if do people come up and
say can I have a selfie? Or are they do
people do that sneaky thing?
Speaker 2 (27:25):
I do see the sneaky thing? Is that shit you
you'll get? Does? I think it's a little bit rude,
But I never say anything, do you know? I don't
know if I've told you this story last time? But okay,
So my beautiful friend li Ma Grangeer plays Irene on
Home and Away. Love her to bits, but she gets
the shits a lot. Like you know, if people just
she'll say no, if she's not up for a photo.
(27:46):
It's so great. She'll say no, we'll be at the
airport waiting for our lugi.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
How does she do it? Nah?
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Nah, I'm just not up for it, darb n not
doing it. Stuff like that, And I'm like, oh, I'll
do it. Whatever you want. You want to take a photo,
I'll take a photo.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Can I carry a bag to it? I'll do it.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
I always over compensate. Or if they call her Irene,
my name's Lynn, I'm like, oh, I don't care what
you call Literally could call me whatever you want. I'm
always doing that. Anyway, we were in Melbourne watching Wicked
and I think it's a Princess Theater or something. Anyway, intermission,
we're waiting for the loop and there's one line. It's
a long line and it's like this narrow corridor right,
(28:25):
you can't move, And there was these girls in front
of us and they were doing the sly little thing
taking a photo. Lynn lost her ship, like she lost
her ship. You know, I can see what you're doing.
Do you realize how rhythm? And she's lost her ship.
The problem was then we had nowhere to go. We
(28:47):
were still in the line. We could through and then
she's like, oh, I should have done that. You shouldn't
have done that.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
People must lose their ship when they see the two
of you together, because I imagine when you buy yourself,
it's easier for you to get around, is it or not?
I meantinctive.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
So I've got this tunnel vision thing where I don't see.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
All of that, and you don't see people seeing you.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
I don't. So it's annoying actually because you're not looking
at everything. But that's what I love. When I go
to Europe or the States or whatever, I could just
I just look. I look at everything, and people are
rude to me. But people not rude, but they're just normal.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
That must feel refreshing.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
It away so good, it's so good. But also I
realize how much I get away with, like how nice
people are.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
So you get excellent customer service. You're like, so, what
do you mean it's bad customer service?
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Adam driving say with this because he's so nice and
it's because you're beautiful. No, it's not, it's not. You're
a girl, and you know he was just being nice.
I understand what that means. Now, So look I don't
I don't notice it. As she was saying to you
the other day, so now it's like a Davil wormy.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Yeah, like when you go out together people laying.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
The other week, it was actually quite interesting how different
it was. Again, we don't realize here in city so much,
but yeah, it was. This is a double whemming.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
Does that make you think twice before you go out?
Speaker 2 (30:13):
No, I'm never gonna do that. No, no, I'm never
gonna do that. Never have done that. The only thing
that does give me the shits is when the paps
take photos of our kids. I don't like that. All
the other day we were like getting out of an
uber so being a Queensland had a really late night,
like still had eight hours. I'm like, literally my eyes
take I don't know until mid day to wake up
(30:36):
these days, like i'me so puffy anyway, got out of
the uber and I can't see properly anymore. I really
need glasses all the time. So I was just like
looking across the road at something going that's a really
interesting come I realized that it was photo.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
I shouldn't laugh. I should never have clicked on that.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
St it was so bad and it was like eating
Nicko Demo reveals those shoes have puffy face After surgery
and body transformation. I'm like, what was my body like beforehand?
Speaker 1 (31:05):
I was looking at the only way I was looking
at that today because I was like doing my research.
And firstly, it was so unfair. I mean, that's why
Mum and Me doesn't ever publish capa photos, which looks
terrible though, because it's just about humiliating women and stalking them,
which is mess up. Yeah, and then monetizing that, which
is just awful. And with the whole story was that
you were puffy and that something body transformation. I'm like,
(31:28):
what surgery? And then it was all about how you'd
acknowledged years ago that you'd had a boob job.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Yeah, And I'm like years ago, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
And the occasionally you get botox yeeah yeah, and I do.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
I did get botox, same, but I wasn't puffy from
anything that I did to my face. I was just tired,
and it was so they.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Once called my stomach confronting, and it's like, it's just
my stomach. I'm sorry if it's confronting. It's so awful
the way they talk about women, it.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
Really is awful. And actually I showed Simone, my best friend,
the photos and she's like, oh, oh, I mean first
she was angry. She's like, can't you sue them? Like
oh really, I mean as if like which, because how
do you they you were just tired, And I'm like,
but I do not really bad. It's actually quite funny,
like you do look bad. Yeah, you have to laugh.
(32:16):
But then the scout was in that photo. And that's
what I don't like because I'm thinking, say, Jimmy's scared
daughter and she's twelve as well, Jonas is twelve. I
just don't like that stuff. But again, it is what
it is.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
There are laws in some countries that you have to
blur out the faces of the kids.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
I don't you're not here. When Jonas was really young
and perhaps would follow me and it was like quite
dangerous or or like he'd be in my front yard
and there'd be photos and I'd ring the police because
there was like three cars, two cars, like it's actually
quite scary. It's stalk or they follow they're following us
and he's getting scared. They can't do anything about it,
which is so weird to me that that can't happen.
(32:54):
Take photos of me, just don't take photos of my kids.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
It's almost like if someone was doing that without a
camera and selling the photos, it would be called stalking. Yeah,
because they've got a camera and they're selling the photos
and making money out of it, it's suddenly just a job.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's so when the.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
Police can't do anything. I've heard this from a lot
of women.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Weird and also very threatening. Lends stuff as well. How
long have you been watching me?
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (33:19):
What have you seen? Like anyway? Again, I mean the industry.
I once, you know, it was one of those celebrities
that sold stories, sold my wedding, all that sort of stuff.
But at what point do I have to keep making
excuses for that?
Speaker 1 (33:32):
But you're right, like it's your right to decide if
you're going to sell a picture of yourself or publish
a picture of yourself. When someone does it without your consent, yeah,
it's yucky.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
It's really yucky. It really is yuckyh Yeah. And even
at work there was a day where because you know,
Lea doesn't wear bikinis. But I was like about three
or four years ago, I mean, oh okay, the odd
time you can put me in a bikini. And then
there was this one.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
Day, how do you decide Lee's your character, of course, yeah,
how do you decide? But you're at the position where
you can say, do you ever get a script and
just go, I'm not wearing that. I'm not saying that,
I'm not doing that to a point, Yeah, what is
the kind of thing that you would because it's your character,
but it's also you, right, So what are the kinds
(34:21):
of things that you would draw the line?
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Oh, look, if I was feeling uncomfortable, for example, if
there was any sort of nud or anything that I
wasn't comfortable with, if there was a bikini scene. And also, look,
we are the keeper of our characters. I mean I've
been playing me or I think for twenty three years. Yeah,
so there'll be some things that might come out of
written with that down, I go.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Oh. I had more questions for Ada. I wanted to
ask her about getting older and perimenopause. She's forty seven now,
and also trying to relate to teenage kids that feeling
of your parents aging, your kids are aging away from you,
And what was it like when Ada and James really
(35:03):
did start seeing each other, and how did they tell
their castmates? Do they have to disclose it to hr.
You can find all of this out in Part two
of our conversation. There's a link in the show notes
You're listening to Amma mea podcast. Mama Mia acknowledges the
traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast is
recorded on.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Jimmy and I have known each other for like twenty
five thirty years, I think, so there was no feelings
for a really, really long time. So I was shocked
when I started having feelings.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
From Mamma Mia. You're listening to No Filter and I'm
Meya Friedman. You know, a few weeks ago I went
to the logis and you may have heard about it
because I posted so much on my socials and I
talked about it on Mama Mea out loud because well,
I don't get out much. And there's something about the cheesy,
homegrown nature of the logies that appeals to everyone over
(00:58):
the age of I don't know, probably around twenty five.
Gen Z's meanwhile, probably couldn't name a single person who
was on that Logi's red carpet, or locate a commercial
TV channel on their TV if they even have TV.
They probably just watch on their phones. But stop any
Australian on the street, no matter how well they are,
and I bet they will have heard of the show
Home and Away to Get You and there is no
(01:27):
more iconic star of this show than Nata Nikodimo, the
actress who's played the character of Leah for twenty four years,
since she was twenty three years old, so more than
half her life and a lot has happened to Leah
the character in that time. Can you imagine, so piers
are like dog years. Her character has had a few
husbands dye in her She's had many love interests. She's
(01:50):
experienced racism and anxiety and single parenthood. So yeah, it's
been a busy time. And in the eight years that
her co star James Stewart has been playing the role
of Justin on Home and Away, AIDA's character and James's
characters have interacted and kind of circled each other in
the great tradition of soap operas, until they became romantically
(02:13):
involved and then had a very big romantic TV wedding
earlier this year.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I will always love you. You never gave ups, even
when I asked you to.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
If you don't watch Home and Away, but you are
around my age. Probably the best comparison would be Scott
and Charlene in Neighbours in the eighties or the nineties.
In real life, Ada was married for many years to
the father of her twelve year old son, a guy
called Chris, and after they divorced, she was in another
(02:47):
long term relationship with a guy called Adam. And neither
of these men were famous. You probably don't even know
their names. I had to look them up because her
private life was not the stuff of gossip columns. It
was very much on the down low. But after Ada
split with her partner a while ago and James Stewart
got divorced from his wife, there had been rumors that
(03:08):
they're on screen shep had spilled over to their real life.
So when Aida walked onto the Logi stage with James
that night a few weeks ago and they were holding
hands with big grins on their faces, I did a
big whoo from the audience because I'm very immature, but
also because this was one hell of a hard launch.
(03:29):
The last time I spoke to Ada, three years ago
on No Filter, she was still with her long term
partner Adam, and James was just her co star. But
a lot can change in a woman's life when she
makes some hard choices and puts herself first. And that's
what this conversation is about. Ada looked more comfortable in
her skin than I'd ever seen her when she walked
(03:49):
into the studio to record this episode of No Filter,
and I began our conversation by asking how she felt
walking onto the stage and effectively announcing to the whole
industry and the whole world, yeah, it is on.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
I was like, I think I skipped it. You see
me skip. I don't know why I skipped, because I'm
an idiot. I was really excited. I was really excited.
I mean, obviously we were going to go to the
Logis anyway, because it's a work event, so we're always going.
And it is the first time that we were photographed
together and all that. I didn't realize that we're going
to be presenting together until probably a month before. But
(04:30):
it was just really nice to share that moment with
him and just to finally go, yeah, we're together, Like
no big deal.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Guys, like except for me in the audience.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
So you know, not that I'm comparing myself to Meryl
Streep here, but I was. I think I was listening
to you guys the other day, and you know, it
was the Spill, and you guys were talking about Meryl
Streep maybe being together with Martin Sure, Martin Sure and
Star and only Murders in the building. And there is
something really exciting when coast stars get together. So I
get it. I totally get.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Do you mean exciting for the fans or exciting for
the co stars?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
No, well, hopefully for the coast, yeah, but no for
the fans. And I really get into TV shows like
I totally do, and I totally go. I wonder if
they're together, we all do, like if Yeah, that's just
what you do. But yes, it was I guess a
little bit of a hard launch, so to speak. But
it was just about us hanging out and having a
great time and we had a great weekend and we
(05:28):
went out for dinner the night before and it was
just really fun.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
How do you decide when to talk about it publicly?
You're not someone who usually gets stalked by paparazzi, not
too much. You do when there's something going on in
your life, but you manage to mostly live your life
out of that spotlight, perhaps because you've been in it
for so many years and you've not before dated anyone
famous that we know of. Yeah, like, how long did
(05:56):
you have to take steps to keep things quiet?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
I don't think it was that strategic. I just think
it was very new. We were just getting together. We
just wanted to do our thing. Unfortunately, when we were papped,
then got out there and we didn't want that again,
so we got papped kissing. I mean it was a
really hot flow was actually where were you? Oh my god?
(06:25):
It looked like we so was anazac day. We were
like played two up and just like at around We're
excited literally no literally like the dorkiest par but we're
like the best day. And we were just getting in
an uber to go back. But we were out the
front of the Ritz and the lights were like, you know,
the lights are on at the Ritz, and he just
gave me a bit of a kiss. We were waiting
(06:46):
for Uber and then next minute we were papped.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Did you know that at the time that you'd been papped?
When you get papped as a famous person, are you
aware or you only know when you see the pictures on.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Arm It depends. In that case. We didn't know until
once we sort of we're not kissing, and then James
saw the car like the pap like sort of further away.
So I think we've been followed all day and which.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
You get thinking feeling it's really really creepy.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
And yeah, I mean okay, everyone knew who needed to
know anyway, Like, it wasn't like we were hiding it
from anyone.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Who was a person you told?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Oh geez, oh my best friends to mine? Yeah yeah,
my best friends of mine? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Was she shocked?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Yeah? Yeah I was shocked.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
You were shocked?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Yeah, I was shocked. Jimmy and I have known each
other for like twenty five thirty years, I think, so
there was no feelings for a really really long time.
So I was shocked when I started having feelings. But yeah,
someone was shocked because she knew how I felt about him,
like all this time. So yes, like he was a
brother yeah, like a friend yeah, like a yeah, like
a work yeah, like a work friend yeah yeah, yeah
(07:52):
was there?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
I mean you had to kiss and stuff as work friends, yeah,
which is not what most people do with their work friends.
It's weird, but acting is weird.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Yeah yeah, yeah, what's.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
That like kissing someone who is just your mate? Is
it just like you feel nothing or you're a human
and you're like, oh yeah it's a nice kiss or
not a nice kiss.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
I think it's kind of weird how I don't feel anything.
I think it's because I've been doing that for nearly
thirty years, Like I've been acting that it is just
choreography and you're in a room, you know what it's like.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
I don't know what it's like.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Well, like I said, no, but you've been you know
producing now, you know, like TV shit, like when you're
filming something or have you seen a kissing scene been filmed?
Speaker 1 (08:32):
I've seen a kissing scene.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Isn't that hilarious?
Speaker 1 (08:34):
That? Yeah? No, I don't like I haven't been on
set that much. I'm more on set for the office
scenes with Strata, so I haven't been on set for
the more intimate scene. Okay, is there isn't an intimacy
coordinator on Home and Aways? There the launchy there is
now it's even just for kissing.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Yeah, I don't know. I've never had an intimacy coordinator,
and I would have liked to throughout the years. I
think it's a real it's a recent thing and I
think gets better, absolutely better. I think it's great that
there's rules. I think it's and again understanding the boreography,
understanding where the other person's going to go, and you
know at this point your hand's going to go here,
(09:14):
and at that point your arm's gonna get like so.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Before there was an intimacy coordinator. I love how you
call it choreography. That's such an interesting way to put it.
Because you are your actors, You're moving and doing things
in a certain order for a camera and an audience.
How did it used to happen before there was an
intimacy coordinator? How did you work out the choreography?
Speaker 2 (09:34):
I think sometimes you just didn't. It was sort of
in the moment. I think it depends, it depends who
the director was. I think it was a little bit rogue.
I don't think we had all of this. We didn't
have all of this beforehand. And you either talk to
your fellow actor beforehand and this is what I'm comfortable with,
this is not what I'm comfortable with. This is what
we need from the scene as well, and with the director.
(09:56):
But other than that, there wasn't a lot of talk.
Like I think it's great that there is now I'm
forty seven, so I can say I'm not comfortable with this,
or I am comfortable with whatever.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
What might you not be comfortable with? What's an example
of what you wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Be comfortable, Well, I wouldn't do any nudity that's.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Not a home and away thing like.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
That would never be proposed to you know, No, but
there might be I don't know, turning up to work
with you know, you could have just little pasty things
on your boobs and you know, I've never done that,
so actually I have. Oh there's something coming up where
our characters skinny dip. But again we were I was
(10:39):
wearing like a full swimming costume and stuff like that.
That's the first time I've ever done something like that
as well. But yeah, I wouldn't be comfortable with being
touched in paces that I'm just not comfortable being touched
in with. Is that the right grammar? You know? And
I don't want to be doing like full on sex
scenes and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
No, can I ask when there's kissing, is there like
rules that like no tongue, no tongue? Is that an
explicit rule or do you do you beforehand just go
just to be clear no tongue or does every reactor
just know that there's never a tongue.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
So every actor knows that there's no tongue. But when
you're just working with an actor for the first time,
you will say that, you will say no tongue Like obviously,
once I worked with Jimmy for a long time, I
wouldn't have to say that because you would just know.
But yeah, when you first tart out with someone, you.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Now that you're actually dating, is their tongue?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
No, it's still like it's choreography. Like it's so weird
because again, going back to my point earlier, you're in
a room full of people, Well that's true, do you
know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Like I forgot about that.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
And actually it's probably even weirder now because I don't
want people think that because we're together, Like it's very professional.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
So you've got a way that your characters kiss, and
then you had to find a way that Aida and
Jimmy kisses Aida and Jimmy.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I don't think we think about it this point.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
What do you think my overthinking it?
Speaker 2 (12:01):
But do you think about how you kiss your husband?
Speaker 1 (12:03):
No? But I don't have to pretend kiss him when
he was my mate for twenty years, when I was
with someone else and he was too, and then it's
like it's very different.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Look I know, but okay, it's kind of like you
have feelings and then you don't like as in it
is just like doing dance moves. So I don't know
whether every other actor feels at me, but I just
turn on. I'm just dancing. Yeah, So like for example,
when I do Dance with the Stars and I'm like
very close dancing with the other dancer.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Also no tongue though, no tongue.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Yeah, everyone knows that it is just choreography, right, and
you can be like very close to someone. Now. I
don't know whether this is normal that you can just
turn off and turn on like this.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
I don't know, But tell me about catching feelings for
someone and the awkwardness of knowing someone really well, because
for most people, and I know it was like this
for you and your past two long term relationships, it's
like the feelings come first before anything happens, before you
get to know the person. It's like either the physical
(13:06):
attraction or the feelings, and then you get to know
them afterwards. But when you do it in reverse and
you fall in love with a friend, yeah, yeah, is
there like one just moment in the movies, like when
you look at him and it's done, Like what, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
It was like it was for me all of a sudden,
I'm like, huh, Like.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
What made you go huh?
Speaker 2 (13:27):
It's kind of like, do you know everything has to
be aligned? But it's like when you, I don't know,
you see things differently. How to explain it, Like it's
like you have chemistry for the first I don't know
what it is. It's just this there's this spark that
happens that wasn't there before, Like it was just a
weird Yeah, it was just a weird like thing that
(13:48):
happened in that moment, Like it was a weird it
was just weird spark.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
After this short break outgrowing old relationships, starting new ones,
navigating blended families with Aida Nicotino. When we last spoke,
you were still with your partner Adam, and you been
divorced from Chris, your husband and the father of your son,
who was at the time nine he's now twelve. Yeah, Jonas,
(14:16):
you had a blended family. I don't know if Adam
did Adam have kids? No, So I wanted to ask
you without delving into your private life. But that's exactly
what I'm doing. But you know, benefits in the news
at the moment, and I've got a lot of friends
who've been part of blended families brought their kids together
with either a step parent and step siblings often and
then when that relationship ends, how do you deconstruct it? Well,
(14:41):
because Jonas spent a lot of his life with Adam.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
With Adam, yeah, and that's still a relationship, you know,
and that's a very important relationship. You know, Adam loves
Jonas and Jonas loves Adam, and they lived together for
a really long time, and you know, you take him
to school and you know, he brought him up as well.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Does he still see Chris as well? His father, his biology,
so we share custody you father's Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Well, no, he's got one father, he's got and I've
always made that really clear. But he's got like I
guess like a step parent or another adult in his
life that has helped to bring him up as well.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
What a great thing for him.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Yeah, I think so, And that's the way I've always
put that. You know, I think he's very lucky to
have Adam in his life. And he's very different to Chris,
so he gets different stuff out of Adam that he
would from Chris. But yeah, that relationship definitely should still
keep going. I think that's really important.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
The decision to end that relationship after quite a long time.
Glennon Doyle talks about this thing about when you've got
a choice between disappointing other people and disappointing yourself, you've
always got to choose to disappoint other people. Was it
a difficult decision?
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Yeah, yeah, I mean.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Of course it was. Yeah, And I'm not really good
at disappointing other people. I always disappoint myself. Absolutely, is it.
It's nothing that just happens overnight when you know the
end of a relationship. It's over a really long period
of time. But yeah, life is short, and you do
you have to be happy. And I did choose myself. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
And what like would your friends say, is different about
you now as opposed to maybe three years ago when
we had a conversation.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Jeez, I don't know, because I'm not trying to think
about what I was like three years ago. What I
can say is me now as opposed to me, say
last year or the year beforehand, is like, I think
I'm more ater again. I feel open, freer. Not saying
that Adam, I was just okay. So it's so hard
when you're you're at different stages of your life, and
(16:48):
you're just different in different stages of your life, and
you need different things and you sometimes just attract different
people in different stages of your life. But I do
feel like I'm more myself than I have been in
a really long time. I laugh a lot. I'm really happy. Yeah,
I'm really happy.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
You seem really happy. It's easy to lose your identity
in a long term relationship, isn't it. And it's not
to say that you can't get it back again within
that relationship, and I think there are times, but yeah,
it can be really tricky.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Yeah, it's and it's both your faults, Like it's always,
like you know, it's not just it just happens.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
So Jonas was nine when we last spoke. He's now twelve.
That's a pretty interesting age for a boy because it's
when you and he have always been so close. Yeah,
and I know that, like twelve thirteen was when my
son's started to pull away from me or you're getting to.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Arsed, Yeah, I know, because it's yeah, he's going into
high school next year.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Yeah, how are you managing with.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
I don't know, Like every time you say that and
I say this to people. You know, my buddy Mia
always says that, you know, you're slowly breaking up with
them every day, and it's I don't know how I'm
going to cope because I'm already studying. Even though we're
really close, I can see he's just growing up and
I can see he's changing. Like and we to the
(18:09):
Swans a few weeks ago, and we were catching public
transport like we always do, and I said to him,
do you know what, buddy, You're gonna work out what bus?
You know, the tram blah blah blah. And he did
it so well like he was, which is great. It's
actually a really good thing. And then like even when
we got to our seats, people were sitting in our
seats and sorry, I'm so sorry, you're just sitting in
(18:32):
our seats. Like he just knew how to get himself
right now. That's lovely, it's actually really great. But he's
needing me less and less, and that's hard. It's really hard.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
It's a weird thing when your job is to make
yourself redundant, and that's the mark of you doing a
good job. Yeah, as a mother, particularly of a son
and a daughter, as well, but with girls it's just different.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Ah, girls, you've got a mum. Girls and their relationships
with their mums. We push each other's buttons. Also, you
know that old saying A daughter is a daughter for life,
a son is best friend until he gets a wife,
or so I've mailed it, but you know what I mean.
And it's like what I always found hardest was that
the way I love my sons and my daughter, but
(19:19):
particularly my sons for this reason it's different, is the
same as when they were two.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Totally.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
The way they love me is different. Like my eyes
light up still when I see them, even my son
who's twenty seven, and their eyes don't light up in
that same way, and that is hard. But if their
eyes didn't light up, you probably wouldn't be have done
such a great job because they need to move away
from you a little bit and find themselves in the
(19:45):
biggest gift you can give them is letting them, not
letting them go completely. But they do come back if
the foundation is there. I'm here to tell you that
they do come back. But it's almost like you've had
all access, all areas, and then the war comes down, slowly, slowly, Yeah.
The other thing I've noticed your social is just your
human sunshine on social media when when you flick through
(20:07):
Instagram and there's just shouting people and Instagram's becoming increasingly
like Twitter in some places. But you seem to have
really found yourself on social in a way that not
many famous people do. Yeah, yeah, tell me about how
you're finding that.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Like so, okay, well what do I like to see?
I like to see people being dickheads, you know, and
I just want to laugh, and I want to relate.
I want to see pretty things as well. Don't get
me wrong. I love all the fashion stuff. I love
all the makeup stuff, such a girl, but I just
like all the dorky real stuff as well. And also,
(20:49):
you know, I like relating to people, and I want
people to relate to me as well, and just you know,
show people what I'm struggling with, like not understanding the
terminology that the kids are saying these days, like what
the hell like this is gibbitty toilet.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
The reel that you made with Jonas was so funny
and he loved it. He's very good.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
I want to ask you some words, and you need
to explain what they are Okay, Sigma, you're cool. You're like,
what's so, I've got a lot of risks. No, I'm
going to put it in a centers. I woke up
today and I was so reals, I'm just gonna slay
(21:32):
the day at home away.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
And I want to ask you about that three years
ago you said to me, because I was asking you
what it's like for him when you're recognized in public,
and you said something that surprised me. You said, he
really likes it now because he understands it and it's
kind of exciting to him that his mum's famous. Even
though he's never known anything different, he can see the
benefits of it now. And you said something like he's
(22:00):
got a real camera eye or his camera hungry or something. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Well, well, I think back then what I was worried
about was that he was fame hungry like that. We
like liked it so much, but it was like really
important to it and he didn't understand. I don't want
him to grow up and go I want to be
a YouTube star, yeah, which he was saying that back then.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Because they're the celebrities that the kids have.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Yeah, and I've seen watching YouTube or time what are
you watching Like it's weird what they watch?
Speaker 1 (22:29):
But I was.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
I don't think he was developed enough to understand all
of that. And I still he still doesn't have a phone.
That's the next thing that tigh school. Maybe I'm struggling
with really hard. Yeah, he just got the watch yesterday
where I can ring him. He doesn't have a phone,
so I'm still sort of trying to navigate all of that.
I now do some videos with him because I think
(22:53):
he understands the difference. Don't let him see the likes,
don't let him understand all the other stuff that comes
with it. But it's how we behave at home. I'm
literally like, we laugh all the time and we do
the dumbest stuff and I kind of like really harassing
him as well.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Isn't it the best?
Speaker 2 (23:11):
It's the best. So any opportunity where I can embarrass him.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
By saying I actually find it really lay all day
on home and away because I know.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
That that's really dorky. He was so embarrassing mum. But yeah,
so I find that stuff really funny. But I still
do live in it. I mainly do it because it
is our relationship, but also I get to embarrass him,
and it's so much.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Of who you are. Like, I don't put my kids
on social I didn't when they were little, not because
I judge anyone who does, but because not so much now.
But in the past, there's swirled quite a bit of
hate around me from certain places and trolls and stuff,
and I've just never wanted to expose them to that,
so I've just kept them away. But like, there's so
much a part of who I am and my identity
(23:55):
and my life that it feels like I'm not showing
my whole self. So I understand for you, because just
everyone loves you. It's beautiful to be able to show
that side of yourself, which is you as a mother.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Yeah, but I still think I have to guard it
a little bit. Like you know, sometimes at school people
do look me up, and there has been sort of
those moments where he gets really upset and they'll show
him stuff that they shouldn't be showing him.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
What's the worst thing someone could google about you?
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Oh? Well, the worst thing that happened to Jonas was
that they googled me and they found stuff about Harrison
and then they were talking to him about it, and
that came up again because we had the anniversary of
his passing not that long ago, and it happened again.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
Harrison is Jonas's brother who you tragically lost when he
was still born. And Jonas knows about Harrison obviousness, of
course he does, but it's not something that he wants
to talk.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
About, No, And he was really upset about it, and
and I was so upset that that happened again. But
I said, buddy, Wit, unfortunately, that's going to happen, you know,
and as you go into high school, it's going to happen.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
There's the kids being mean about it or they were
just like it just felt inappropriate, and he didn't want
to talk about about it.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
I think it was a bit of both, Yeah, yeah
and yeah. So I just said, this's going to happen.
I think as he goes into high school, there's going
to be teenage boys that are going to google stuff
and they're going to say stuff to him.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
At least there aren't nouds out of you around, you know,
like they could have been. Imagine that that.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Would exactly exactly. But we need a few lines. We
need a few lines that you say and that you're
prepared like that's going to happen, So let's prepare you
for it. But it's awful, like I've chosen this job
like he hasn't. But yeah, it's going to happen.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
After this short break. How does they navigate fame the
perhaps and what do you do when your life becomes clickbait?
How it's fame changed. You've been famous for so long,
since you're a kid. And like back in the day,
it was very there were rules or there were guardrails
(26:03):
for it. Like famous people would sell stories about their
weddings or about their baby and they would be paid
for those and they were nice. Pictures would be done
and they would give an interview and the interview would
be nice, and it was all very controlled. Yes, and
now was it or wasn't it. No, that's how it
was from the outside.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Yeah, like yes, there was. But also like there was
more paps around. I think back then, and I think
there was more money to be made because there was
more mags out.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Before there was social media and you could control your
own Yeah, have your own voice out there.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
So in one respect, now at least you can control
a little bit of it. There's less paps and unless
you know you're kissing your co star father Ritz. You're
not really getting followed, so it is quite controlled, I
think now as opposed to then. But you know everyone
didn't have camera phones back then. Oh yeah as well,
(26:59):
thank god?
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Can you imagine?
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Thank god? Like when we were growing up, you know,
we were all sixteen seventeen eighteen, like we all went
to nightclub like, thank god that there isn't. But now
wherever you are people can take Like you're in Coles,
people are taking a photo of you.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
What do you do when that happens?
Speaker 2 (27:16):
I always take a photo?
Speaker 1 (27:18):
What do you mean? Oh no, I don't mean when
they come up. But if do people come up and
say can I have a selfie? Or are they do
people do that sneaky thing?
Speaker 2 (27:25):
I do see the sneaky thing? Is that shit you
you'll get? Does? I think it's a little bit rude,
But I never say anything, do you know? I don't
know if I've told you this story last time? But okay,
So my beautiful friend li Ma Grangeer plays Irene on
Home and Away. Love her to bits, but she gets
the shits a lot. Like you know, if people just
she'll say no, if she's not up for a photo.
(27:46):
It's so great. She'll say no, we'll be at the
airport waiting for our lugi.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
How does she do it? Nah?
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Nah, I'm just not up for it, darb n not
doing it. Stuff like that, And I'm like, oh, I'll
do it. Whatever you want. You want to take a photo,
I'll take a photo.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Can I carry a bag to it? I'll do it.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
I always over compensate. Or if they call her Irene,
my name's Lynn, I'm like, oh, I don't care what
you call Literally could call me whatever you want. I'm
always doing that. Anyway, we were in Melbourne watching Wicked
and I think it's a Princess Theater or something. Anyway, intermission,
we're waiting for the loop and there's one line. It's
a long line and it's like this narrow corridor right,
(28:25):
you can't move, And there was these girls in front
of us and they were doing the sly little thing
taking a photo. Lynn lost her ship, like she lost
her ship. You know, I can see what you're doing.
Do you realize how rhythm? And she's lost her ship.
The problem was then we had nowhere to go. We
(28:47):
were still in the line. We could through and then
she's like, oh, I should have done that. You shouldn't
have done that.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
People must lose their ship when they see the two
of you together, because I imagine when you buy yourself,
it's easier for you to get around, is it or not?
I meantinctive.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
So I've got this tunnel vision thing where I don't see.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
All of that, and you don't see people seeing you.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
I don't. So it's annoying actually because you're not looking
at everything. But that's what I love. When I go
to Europe or the States or whatever, I could just
I just look. I look at everything, and people are
rude to me. But people not rude, but they're just normal.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
That must feel refreshing.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
It away so good, it's so good. But also I
realize how much I get away with, like how nice
people are.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
So you get excellent customer service. You're like, so, what
do you mean it's bad customer service?
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Adam driving say with this because he's so nice and
it's because you're beautiful. No, it's not, it's not. You're
a girl, and you know he was just being nice.
I understand what that means. Now, So look I don't
I don't notice it. As she was saying to you
the other day, so now it's like a Davil wormy.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Yeah, like when you go out together people laying.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
The other week, it was actually quite interesting how different
it was. Again, we don't realize here in city so much,
but yeah, it was. This is a double whemming.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
Does that make you think twice before you go out?
Speaker 2 (30:13):
No, I'm never gonna do that. No, no, I'm never
gonna do that. Never have done that. The only thing
that does give me the shits is when the paps
take photos of our kids. I don't like that. All
the other day we were like getting out of an
uber so being a Queensland had a really late night,
like still had eight hours. I'm like, literally my eyes
take I don't know until mid day to wake up
(30:36):
these days, like i'me so puffy anyway, got out of
the uber and I can't see properly anymore. I really
need glasses all the time. So I was just like
looking across the road at something going that's a really
interesting come I realized that it was photo.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
I shouldn't laugh. I should never have clicked on that.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
St it was so bad and it was like eating
Nicko Demo reveals those shoes have puffy face After surgery
and body transformation. I'm like, what was my body like beforehand?
Speaker 1 (31:05):
I was looking at the only way I was looking
at that today because I was like doing my research.
And firstly, it was so unfair. I mean, that's why
Mum and Me doesn't ever publish capa photos, which looks
terrible though, because it's just about humiliating women and stalking them,
which is mess up. Yeah, and then monetizing that, which
is just awful. And with the whole story was that
you were puffy and that something body transformation. I'm like,
(31:28):
what surgery? And then it was all about how you'd
acknowledged years ago that you'd had a boob job.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Yeah, And I'm like years ago, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
And the occasionally you get botox yeeah yeah, and I do.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
I did get botox, same, but I wasn't puffy from
anything that I did to my face. I was just tired,
and it was so they.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Once called my stomach confronting, and it's like, it's just
my stomach. I'm sorry if it's confronting. It's so awful
the way they talk about women, it.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
Really is awful. And actually I showed Simone, my best friend,
the photos and she's like, oh, oh, I mean first
she was angry. She's like, can't you sue them? Like
oh really, I mean as if like which, because how
do you they you were just tired, And I'm like,
but I do not really bad. It's actually quite funny,
like you do look bad. Yeah, you have to laugh.
(32:16):
But then the scout was in that photo. And that's
what I don't like because I'm thinking, say, Jimmy's scared
daughter and she's twelve as well, Jonas is twelve. I
just don't like that stuff. But again, it is what
it is.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
There are laws in some countries that you have to
blur out the faces of the kids.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
I don't you're not here. When Jonas was really young
and perhaps would follow me and it was like quite
dangerous or or like he'd be in my front yard
and there'd be photos and I'd ring the police because
there was like three cars, two cars, like it's actually
quite scary. It's stalk or they follow they're following us
and he's getting scared. They can't do anything about it,
which is so weird to me that that can't happen.
(32:54):
Take photos of me, just don't take photos of my kids.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
It's almost like if someone was doing that without a
camera and selling the photos, it would be called stalking. Yeah,
because they've got a camera and they're selling the photos
and making money out of it, it's suddenly just a job.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's so when the.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
Police can't do anything. I've heard this from a lot
of women.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Weird and also very threatening. Lends stuff as well. How
long have you been watching me?
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (33:19):
What have you seen? Like anyway? Again, I mean the industry.
I once, you know, it was one of those celebrities
that sold stories, sold my wedding, all that sort of stuff.
But at what point do I have to keep making
excuses for that?
Speaker 1 (33:32):
But you're right, like it's your right to decide if
you're going to sell a picture of yourself or publish
a picture of yourself. When someone does it without your consent, yeah,
it's yucky.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
It's really yucky. It really is yuckyh Yeah. And even
at work there was a day where because you know,
Lea doesn't wear bikinis. But I was like about three
or four years ago, I mean, oh okay, the odd
time you can put me in a bikini. And then
there was this one.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
Day, how do you decide Lee's your character, of course, yeah,
how do you decide? But you're at the position where
you can say, do you ever get a script and
just go, I'm not wearing that. I'm not saying that,
I'm not doing that to a point, Yeah, what is
the kind of thing that you would because it's your character,
but it's also you, right, So what are the kinds
(34:21):
of things that you would draw the line?
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Oh, look, if I was feeling uncomfortable, for example, if
there was any sort of nud or anything that I
wasn't comfortable with, if there was a bikini scene. And also, look,
we are the keeper of our characters. I mean I've
been playing me or I think for twenty three years. Yeah,
so there'll be some things that might come out of
written with that down, I go.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Oh. I had more questions for Ada. I wanted to
ask her about getting older and perimenopause. She's forty seven now,
and also trying to relate to teenage kids that feeling
of your parents aging, your kids are aging away from you,
And what was it like when Ada and James really
(35:03):
did start seeing each other, and how did they tell
their castmates? Do they have to disclose it to hr.
You can find all of this out in Part two
of our conversation. There's a link in the show notes
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