Sarah Roberts finds love again following heartbreaking divorce from James Stewart as she is spotted holding hands with new man in Sydney
The actress, 39, was spotted hand-in-hand with her new boyfriend while out and about in Sydney on Mother's Day, marking the first time she's been seen publicly with a partner since her 2023 divorce from Stewart.
Sarah looked effortlessly chic in a fitted grey long-sleeved top and white pants.
The brunette beauty showed off her natural beauty, and appeared to be wearing little makeup for the outing.
Meanwhile her new flame – Sydney-based cinematographer Jake Iesu – kept things casual in a black T-shirt that read 'We are stronger together', navy shorts and a beige cap.
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The pair appeared smitten as they strolled the streets, grabbed food, and packed on the PDA while window shopping - a far cry from the heartache Roberts opened up about last year.
It's a new chapter for the actor and DJ, who admitted in a raw interview with Stellar magazine that her marriage breakdown had left her emotionally shattered.
'I've been really afraid of talking about this because of what I've felt to be the stigma and shame around it. But I just want to say that I am divorced,' she said in April 2024.
Roberts and Stewart met on the Home and Away set in 2017, quickly falling in love before tying the knot in a fairy-tale wedding in Ireland in 2019.
But behind closed doors, cracks had already started to appear.
'I'll never speak on anyone else's behalf, but my belief in marriage is that two people grow and learn from each other together,' she said.
'Sometimes people just grow apart, and that's OK.'
He kept things casual in a black T-shirt that read 'We are stronger together'
While Stewart has since moved on with his Home and Away co-star Ada Nicodemou – a pairing that stunned fans when it was revealed - Roberts is now carving out a path of her own.
According to New Idea, Jake works as a Steadicam operator and 'occasional pilot', and recently showcased his artwork at an exhibition titled A Piece of Art in Crows Nest.
Although the couple has yet to post any photos together, sources say they've quietly been attending events around Sydney - including the Sydney Film Festival - and are slowly going public with their blossoming relationship.
Speaking about her new romance, Roberts recently said: 'I feel grateful that I found him, because he's allowed me to grow in beautiful and unexpected ways.
'But if I didn't have that, I would still be OK. Because I finally found myself, as clichéd as that may sound.'
Roberts added that she's no longer afraid to speak her truth.
'I have beaten myself up for a long time over the fact that I stayed in something that wasn't healthy,' she said.
'But I've finally found a love for myself that I didn't have – and that's the most important relationship of all.'
They grabbed food, and packed on the PDA while window shopping
It's a new chapter for the actor and DJ, who admitted in a raw interview with Stellar magazine that her marriage breakdown had left her emotionally shattered
'I've been really afraid of talking about this because of what I've felt to be the stigma and shame around it. But I just want to say that I am divorced,' she said in April 2024
Sarah rose to fame playing the character of Willow on Home and Away from 2017 to 2021 and recently revealed she still keeps close with her former soap co-stars - and why Hollywood is her next stop.
'One of my best friends was one of my cast mates on Neighbours. That goes way back. Another one of my best friends, Emily Weir, she's from Home and Away,' Sarah told Daily Mail Australia in February.
'I've also made friends with a lot of the new cast from Home and Away because Emily is friends with them and we all hang out together.
'I just had my 40th birthday party at the end of last year and I had a party on a boat on the Sydney Harbour.
'It was full of a lot of the Home and Away cast. I get really close to people and really value my friendships.'
She is currently reprising her role as reporter Beth Ramachandran on the Stan Original series Scrublands.
Sarah went on to say a large part of the reason she is still so close with her former castmates, despite having left soap shows behind four years ago, is because of how vulnerable the stars become with each other during filming.
'You share so many deep dark secrets about yourself and you have to develop a lot of trust between each other. That lends itself to strong friendships,' she said.
Sarah also did two stints on Neighbours, making her debut in 2010 and later appearing as the character Sienna in 2014.
As for what's next for the TV star, Sarah said she has her sights set on the next big HBO hit in Hollywood, adding she wants something she 'can sink her teeth into'.
'My next dream it would be to book a television show where I'm in a contract for five years. I would like that to be a character I can sink my teeth into. I'm not sure I'd want to do another soap,' she said.
'I would have loved to have done something like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones. That would be a dream job for me.'
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