What was claimed

Home and Away stars are dead or have been diagnosed with serious illnesses.

Our verdict

False. The posts are fake and appear to be designed to drive engagement.

Death and disease hoaxes involving Home and Away stars are being shared in an apparent attempt to trick fans into engaging with posts on Facebook.

Several posts falsely claim actors in the Seven Network soap opera, including Ray Meagher, Tessa James, Georgie Parker and Ada Nicodemou, have either died or are seriously ill.

Seven has confirmed the claims are false, while AAP FactCheck has separately confirmed the posts about former cast members are also inaccurate.

The posts appear to be engagement bait designed to drive views, comments and shares to generate revenue for the accounts sharing them.

Several Facebook posts falsely claim that actor Tessa James, who played Nicole Franklin on Home and Away from 2008 to 2011 and previously battled cancer, has died, featuring several historical photos of her.

But James is, in fact, alive and has been active on Instagram in recent days. In a February 2025 post, she said she was “cancer free”.

Another post claims the actor who played Roo Stewart, Georgie Parker, had suffered a stroke.

But there’s no evidence to support the claim, and Parker recently posted on Instagram to encourage people to attend a play in which she was set to star in late August.

The photo used in the suspicious Facebook post was originally posted by the actor herself on Instagram, showing her hip replacement surgery in June 2024.

Posts have also claimed that Ray Meagher, Home and Away‘s longest-serving cast member, and his character Alf Stewart have been “diagnosed with terminal illness”.

But there are no credible reports that Meagher is seriously ill, and there’s also no evidence that Alf Stewart’s days in Summer Bay are numbered.

Another post falsely claims actor Ada Nicodemou has been diagnosed with a “shock” terminal illness.

A web story linked in the comments beneath the post even suggests that the storyline of her character, Leah Patterson-Baker, will reflect the actor’s grave condition.

There are no credible reports that Nicodemou is in ill health, and in early August she posted about attending the Logies on Instagram.

Ada Nicodemu and James Stewart at the Logies in early August. Photo: AAP

Another post claims Shane Withington, who plays John Palmer in the show, has fallen “seriously ill” and “will stop filming next week”.

Again, there are no credible reports that Withington, who recently posted on Instagram, is unwell.

Another post claims in a “Hot Shocking Update” that actor Kirsty Marillier left the show “because she was diagnosed”.

But no credible media reports or social media posts from Marillier, who played Rose Delaney, indicate she’s had a career-ending diagnosis.

Another post claims Cameron Daddo, who played Evan Slater and Owen Davidson, is “seriously ill” and he “officially retires from his artistic career”.

Daddo did have a health scare involving aneurysms, for which he underwent surgery in early 2025, The Daily Mail reported. But he has not retired, and is starring in a Sydney Theatre Company production.

Also, despite claims his illness was “undisclosed” in a web story linked to in one of the posts, Daddo’s health scare was made public at the time.

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-AAP