My Big Fat Greek Wedding star Nia Vardalos, 62, makes rare red carpet appearance with hunky ‘secret boyfriend’

Nia Vardalos, 62, of My Big Fat Greek Wedding is going strong with her new boyfriend.

The two were seen side-by-side at the the 2024 Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles on Saturday evening in a rare red carpet move.

The two hit the red carpet together only about once a year. 

Her boyfriend – who was a secret for over a year – is Spiros Katsagans, a resident of Athens, Greece. They met in 2022 at an outdoor restaurant when she wrapped filming My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.  

This comes six years after she split from her husband of over 20 years, actor Ian Gomez, with whom she has a teen daughter.

Nia Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding is going strong with her new boyfriend. The two were seen side-by-side at the the 2024 Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles on Saturday evening

Her boyfriend - who was a secret for over a year - is Spiros Katsagans, a resident of Athens, Greece. They met in 2022 at an outdoor restaurant when she wrapped filming My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3

Her boyfriend – who was a secret for over a year – is Spiros Katsagans, a resident of Athens, Greece. They met in 2022 at an outdoor restaurant when she wrapped filming My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3

DailyMail.com has reached out to Nia’s rep for more information about her boyfriend.

The comedienne, actress and producer beamed while next to her man.

The movie icon had on a gold/yellow satin dress as she added yellow gold jewelry. He had on a black tuxedo with a white shirt.

This is not their first red carpet, however.

They were side by side at the 3rd Annual Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 3, 2023 in Los Angeles, but they were not affectionate and he appeared to be more of a ‘friend’ than a love interest. 

In September 2023 she told People she was in a relationship who lives in Athens, Greece. 

They ran into each other ‘in the most romantic way possible’ in 2022, she told the site. 

‘We met on the night of a full moon at an outdoor restaurant in Greece. It’s like I wrote a movie and then walked into it,’ said the Hollywood veteran

She was in Greece after she finished filming My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.

The comedienne, actress and producer beamed while next to her man. The movie icon had on a gold/yellow satin dress as she added yellow gold jewelry. He had on a black tuxedo with a white shirt

The comedienne, actress and producer beamed while next to her man. The movie icon had on a gold/yellow satin dress as she added yellow gold jewelry. He had on a black tuxedo with a white shirt

They were last seen on a carpet at The Hollywood Reporter's Women In Entertainment Gala at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills in December 2023

They were last seen on a carpet at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women In Entertainment Gala at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills in December 2023

And the timing was great because she was done with work 

‘I believe when you’re filming that you have to be like a Barbie doll, like just smooth down there,’ she joked.

‘You have no sexuality whatsoever. No. 

‘When you’re filming a movie, you’re just walking through it, just get your job done. There’s no crying. So I don’t believe in relationships during the making of a movie,’ she added.

At the time she would not name him.

‘I’ve learned to keep things private,’ she offered.

‘The relationship I’m in right now, I’m trying to keep it as private as possible to preserve its specialness.’

They were side by side at the 3rd Annual Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 3, 2023 in Los Angeles

They were side by side at the 3rd Annual Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 3, 2023 in Los Angeles

She split from husband, actor Ian Gomez, in 2018 after more than two decades of marriage. 

They share teen daughter Ilaria with her ex.

After the split she took time off from dating.

‘So I tried to just not think about myself in that way, because no teenager wants to hear or know about what their mom is doing. I think a teenager should be self-centered and only go through their life thinking about themselves,’ said Vardalos.

Vardalos’s ex Gomez, who played a in the first two movies, did not want to return.

She was not hurt but rather ‘stumped,’ she said.

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