Ada Nicodemou Reflects on Overcoming Childhood Struggles with Her Greek Heritage and Finding Cultural Pride

In a candid piece for Stellar, Ada recounted how she often hid the delicious Greek meals her mother, Jenny, prepared, as she yearned to fit in with her classmates. “In Western Sydney, where I was one of the few Greek kids at school, I felt like an outsider,” Ada wrote. She admitted that she envied the typical Aussie lunches enjoyed by her peers and remembered one occasion when she ate a bland sandwich just to blend in, even though she disliked it.

Ada Nicodemou Opens Up About Childhood Struggles with Greek Heritage and Embracing Culture Later in Life 1

Ada described how she would watch enviously as her classmates enjoyed their Devon and tomato sauce sandwiches, while she reluctantly ate her Mediterranean spread. She now realizes that the lunches she once gave away were actually cultural treasures she would come to appreciate deeply later in life.

Reflecting on her past, Ada acknowledged her initial embarrassment about her heritage, saying, “As a child, I was embarrassed by the things that made me different. I remember handing out my lunch to classmates, not realizing the value of what I was giving away.”

With time, Ada’s perspective changed, and she began to understand her mother’s efforts to preserve their Greek customs through food as a profound expression of love. “What felt like an imposition back then now feels like a beautiful expression of love and heritage,” she noted.

Now a mother to 12-year-old Johnas, Ada has fully embraced the Greek traditions she once tried to hide. She sees these customs as a vital way to honor her family’s heritage and pass it on to future generations.

Ada’s personal life has seen several changes over the years. She and her ex-husband Chrys Xipolitas, who welcomed their son Johnas in 2012, ended their nine-year marriage in late 2015. Ada later dated millionaire businessman Adam Rigby, but they separated just before Christmas last year after an eight-year relationship.

Recently, Ada found new love with her Home and Away co-star James Stewart. Their romance came to light when they were seen kissing on Anzac Day. Ada described their relationship as “unexpected” and “lovely,” though she clarified that their on-screen wedding in April was filmed months before they began dating. Ada and James have known each other since 1998, having first worked together on the short-lived Channel Ten soap Breakers.

Ada emphasized that while their on-screen characters’ marriage might spark curiosity, their real-life relationship developed separately and genuinely.