TWO SOULS, ONE COUPLE

James Stewart and Sarah Roberts have full hearts.

FFor Sarah Roberts, her attraction to her Home and Away co-star James Stewart was instant. “When I came in to audition and do the ‘chemistry test’ it wasn’t really a hard job,” she tells WHO. Stewart, who has daughter Scout, 5, with actress Jessica Marais, tried steering clear at first. “I rang a friend and he just said, ‘Eyes down, walk away!’ And so I tried.”

“How did that work out for you?” Roberts asks. “It didn’t!” laughs Stewart. Posing for their first photo shoot together after almost a year of dating, moving in together or marriage is still a way off.

“Right now, we are just kind of thinking of things like that,” says Stewart. “We really don’t talk about it yet.” Adds Roberts, “We are just very lucky we have found each other. We take it, day by day.” What’s most beautiful about Sarah? STEWART: Her grace. She’s kind, smart and, a word I got from a friend, she has chutzpah. ROBERTS: The thing I find most beautiful about Jimmy is your swagger and charisma. You’re handsome on the outside but you’re so kind and genuine and loving, and a great dad and son and boyfriend ... and your forearms. What is true beauty? ROBERTS: It isn’t about having perfect teeth or skinny legs or tanned skin or long hair, it’s about the marks that life imprints on you, like my Nanna’s wrinkles. STEWART: Your freckles ... My daughter’s smile in the morning. One time I was standing downstairs in the driveway waiting for Sarah and she came down in a red dress. It was the first time I took her out to dinner and that was totally beautiful. What attracted you to each other? STEWART: We were working but being very respectful of one another. We just sort of gravitated together. We were mates first. How do you juggle working together with dating? STEWART: We’re lucky. Our work is really important to both of us. We really want to do it well, and our respect for each other’s work is what kind of attracted us in the first place. So we know each other’s hours, we know what each other has to do, we have kind of got our heads around the profession we are both in, so when we do have time off it’s just joy to not have scripts to learn. How important is keeping a good relationship with Jessica these days? STEWART: We keep completely focused on Scout and it is all about the child. Any of the 50 per cent of couples that do go their separate ways and move on, the healthiest thing to do is to keep it all about the child. It is about focus on the kid’s happiness and welfare. If you do that, nothing can go too bad. What’s it like watching Scout bond with Sarah?

STEWART: That is a slow process and they are now becoming really good buddies. ROBERTS: Yes, she’s so sweet. STEWART: They gang up a little bit on me.

ROBERTS: Yes, that’s true. We’re a girl gang, a girl gang of two. How do you unwind as a couple? ROBERTS: Red wine. If we’re being naughty, pizza ... STEWART: A treat night is pizza followed by pasta, red wine, definitely a movie, with dancing. Sarah is a really good dancer and makes me feel like I’m a good dancer.

ROBERTS: You’re a great dancer! Does being on the beach in Summer Bay motivate you to stay in shape?

STEWART: It’s her in a bikini. Hello, oh my gosh. ROBERTS: Oh hello, it’s like that next to you … and your abs! STEWART: When you first came on the show, I had a couple of pizzas ( gestures at stomach)—and I was like: “Oh God, don’t look at me.” So yeah. I think it’s become fun now, it’s just a part of life. James, it’s been so inspiring to see what you have done with your fitness. STEWART: I actually didn’t set out to inspire anyone. I saw a target, a goal, and it was something I wanted to achieve for a long time. Discipline was the word. I had a couple of people help me out with it, and I was determined not to let them down. In doing so, I hit the target. I lost 9kg and I put 4kg back on in muscle. And has taking care of your fitness set you up for this new chapter with Sarah? STEWART: Once I dropped the weight and began thinking more about my life, I realised I have moved on with my life. I am raising my beautiful daughter, I have met this beautiful woman ... I am happy. My heart is full.

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