From the Bay to baes: All the Home and Away stars who have hooked up in real life
Two Aussie actors walk into the diner…
Over the years, we’ve seen on-screen loves turn into real-life loves – and in most cases, it seems their IRL romance features a lot less drama in comparison to their characters.

Sophie and Patrick
Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor, who play Ziggy and Dean, are the modern-day poster couple for Home and Away relationships.
But unlike many of their fellow lovebirds, Sophie and Patrick actually met long before stepping foot into the fictional small town. “We actually knew each other at uni – we went to acting school together years ago,” Sophie revealed in March 2021.
In May 2022, Sophie, who also plays Patrick’s character Dean’s on-screen girlfriend Ziggy, told TV WEEK that it’s been surprisingly easy to separate their personal and professional lives. “We’ve sort of made boundaries of ‘work is work and home is home’,” she said.
“Especially at work, you’re playing a character, you’re not playing yourself. So it’s not like Sophie and Patty are having an argument, it’s Dean and Ziggy. And we’re very different from our characters so it’s most of the time fine.”

Beau Brady and Bec Cartwright
Home and Away‘s glorious young couple Hayley and Noah melted our hearts on-screen, but actors Beau Brady and Bec Hewitt’s off-screen relationship unfortunately came to an end in 2004. We all know what happened next – the blonde actress is now happily married to Aussie tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt. Guess there’s always a happily ever after…

James and Sarah
Glorious Summer Bay couple James Stewart and Sarah Roberts tied the knot in July 2019 in a stunning wedding attended by only their close family and friends.
Their characters, Justin and Willow, also had a whirlwind romance on the show. In fact, Sarah (who left the soap in 2021) previously revealed that the bond between her and James is so strong, that their romantic scenes together felt completely natural.
“There’s real chemistry, so it’s easy – I don’t even have to act!” she explained.
However, things went south for the couple who divorced in April 2024.

James Stewart and Ada Nicodemou
In 2024, James Stewart and Ada Nicodemou’s on-screen relationship blossomed in real life. They confirmed their relationship in July 2024, before making their official red carpet debut at the Logies in August.
Today, the couple are still going strong.
“We were always really, really good friends,” James tells TV WEEK.
“And I have not stopped laughing. I still laugh every morning.”
“We laugh a lot,” agrees Ada.
“It’s been lovely. I feel really content and happy.”

Indiana Evans & Rhys Wakefield
If you watched Home and Away in 2006, you’ll undoubtedly have been utterly thrilled to know actors Maddie (Indiana Evans) and Lucas (Rhys Wakefield) were reportedly together in real life. Seriously, this former OG couple were the Ryan and Marissa of Aussie television. Those were the days!
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Lincoln Lewis and Indiana Evans
Lincoln Lewis and Indiana dated for several months before calling it quits in 2008. Lincoln depicted a the charming, yet slightly lost soul of Geoff on the hit show, while Indiana’s character Maddie was an absolute sweetheart. They’d have made a cute on-screen couple, too!

Lincoln Lewis and Rhiannon Fish
Lincoln definitely owes Home and Away for a few of his past loves. He was also romantically linked to co-star Rhiannon Fish, who played April on the show. The pair split in 2012.
Lincoln has been dating his current girlfriend, Pandora Bonsor, since February 2021.

Debra Lawrance and Dennis Coard
In what might be one of our favourite romances from the entire show, Debra Lawrance and Dennis Coard, who played Pippa and Michael on the show back in its early days. They celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in March 2022 and are still together today.

Bobby Morley and Jessica Tovey
They played on-screen rebels Belle and Drew, but Jessica Tovey and Bobby Morleycharmed our pants off when it emerged they were dating off-camera. Sadly things didn’t last long, with the pair reportedly splitting in 2008.
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Axle Whitehead Samara Weaving
Axle Whitehead and Samara Weaving played Liam and Indie on the Aussie soap, and reportedly dated off-screen back in 2012. It didn’t last long between the pair, who’ve both moved onto bigger and better things. Samara has appeared in several Hollywood blockbusters, including Nine Perfect Strangers alongside Nicole Kidman, while Axle is pursuing a musical career.
He is also slated to appear on SAS: Australia vs England in 2026.

Chris Hemsworth and Isabel Lucas
Back in the day, Chris Hemsworth and Isabel Lucas, who played Kim and Tasha on the show, were the real deal. You’ll probably be familiar with the fact that they didn’t last – Chris is now happily married to stunning Spanish actress Elsa Pataky with whom he shares three adorable kids.

Dannii Minogue and Julian McMahn
After meeting on the set of Home and Away, Dannii Minogue and Julian McMahn had a whirlwind romance, and even tied the knot in 1994. Sadly, things didn’t last between the real life couple, who played Emma and Ben on the show.

Rebecca Breeds and Luke Mitchell
Rebecca Breeds and Luke Mitchell played Ruby and Romeo in Summer Bay – and while their characters didn’t seal the deal, the talented actors did! The pair met in 2009 at a mutual friend’s housewarming. At the time, Luke had just moved to Sydney for his Home And Away gig, while Rebecca was already filming the show.
“I felt like I already knew him. It was absolutely a feeling that we had lived another life together,” she previously said of their first meeting. “I knew immediately after the party that what I had with Luke was that soulmate thing.”
The Summer Bay golden couple are now based in the US, along with their adorable dog Alfie.
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Sophea Pennington and Matt Evans
Matt Evans and Sophea Pennington are one of the most recent couples to come out of Home and Away. The pair met on set as their characters began dating and now, life has imitated art.
Despite Matt’s character Theo being killed off this year, Matt and Sophea’s romance is going strong. In fact, Sophie told TV WEEK that they’re spending Christmas travelling together.
“It’s been beautiful and I’m very grateful,” Sophea says of her relationship.
“It was a lot of fun to be able to work with Matt on screen and then continue that journey off screen.”