Australian-born Greek Cypriot TV personality Ada Nicodemou has a lot on her plate at the moment. Not only has she released her first children’s book but Leah Patterson – her character in Channel 7 TV show Home and Away – is also getting married this week.
The Greek Herald spoke with Ada ahead of these two big milestones.
‘I hope it’s a TV event’
Ada is known for her longstanding history with the popular Australian TV series Home and Away, having played the role of Leah for the last 24 years.
In an upcoming episode premiering on April 9, Leah will marry her fiancé and partner of several years Justin. Ada said the marriage is a “really nice thing for the fans and for the characters.”
“They’ve been through a lot, and they deeply love each other, and it’s nice to just celebrate that,” the actress said.
“The fans will get to see a really nice Home and Away wedding and it’s really lovely and joyous. It’s not one of those weddings where something bad happens. It’s just a celebration of love, which is nice thing to see, especially after so much turmoil.”
The Greek Cypriot actress described the wedding as “a really lovely payoff for both characters.”
“It’s not like one of those young loves. They’ve got this really nice adult relationship where they have each other’s backs,” Ada said.
“They support each other, and they’ve got their own kids and they’ve been through a lot, and they didn’t need to get married, but they wanted to in the end.
“She’s [Leah] been married many times before, but I think that this is ‘the one’.”
Ada said she thinks the wedding episode is one “that everyone’s looking forward to.”
“I hope it is a bit of a TV event,” she said.
“I remember growing up and there were certain moments on TV that you just remember. I really hope it’s one of those because the fans have gone through a lot with these two characters so it’s a nice payoff.”
Mia Megastar
Ada also revealed her first children’s book, Mia Megastar, which will be released on April 3. She said it was loosely based on her childhood and aimed towards tweens girls (8-12 years old).
“It’s a nice, fun book that is all about family and community,” Ada said.
“Mia is a young, Greek Australian girl and she lives with her parents and her grandparents on top of their shop and the business is downstairs and it’s like a little community, which is like what I grew up with.
“Mia also loves to put on a show, just like I used to, and she goes to a play one day with her school and she becomes so inspired by the play that she decides she wants to be an actor. She then gets together with her friends and starts a drama club.
“It’s just a fun book for kids to get a little bit of insight into the acting industry, while exploring themes of friendship and culture and then there’s some Greek recipes in there and some acting tips and all that sort of stuff too.”
The Home and Away star said she was excited to release Mia Megastar.
“I’m really excited about it. I really liked it and I think it’s really cute story,” Ada said.
“It’s one of three books so far, so I think everyone should get behind it. It’s also really nice to talk about Greek culture, and have a little bit of fun with it too.
“I hope this book inspires young girls to start a drama club or go to acting classes and you know, all that sort of stuff, as well as to just be nice to each other and stick with friends, I think it’s really important to be kind.”
