After weeks of abuse at the hands of her deranged kidnapper, Leah is home safe and sound. But it’s clear her horrifying ordeal has left her damaged and fearful.
Leah (Ada Nicodemou) barely sleeps or eats – and recoils at the slightest touch. Despite doing all they can to help, Justin (James Stewart) and Irene (Lynne McGranger) are concerned she may never recover.
When the police call for information about Douglas (Adam Booth), the pair are surprised by Leah’s desire to help. Together they visit the police station, where Leah reveals the horrifying truth about her attacker.
He’d pretended his wife was a fan of her blog and wanted to meet her. The ruse led Leah to the hospital carpark, where she was pulled into his car.
“Douglas’ wife actually was a fan, and Leah’s blog gave her the courage to leave their abusive relationship,” Ada, 42, tells TV WEEK.
“So Douglas blames her for it falling apart. He calls and pretends his wife is in hospital. Leah agrees to visit, then he kidnaps her.”
Leah’s horrifying ordeal has left her damaged and fearful.
(Credit: Channel Seven)Leah becomes visibly upset at this point in the interview, but presses on to recount the days spent in the cabin. By the end, Leah starts to feel better, as if a weight has been lifted.
The next day, Leah surprises Justin at the garage. He fills her in on Ben’s (Rohan Nichol) birthday bash and alludes to the community spirit being alive and well.
Suddenly, it dawns on him that Leah doesn’t know about Robbo (Jake Ryan) and Mason’s (Orpheus Pledger) death – and that telling her could cause irreparable damage…
Leah is subjected to one of her most harrowing situations to date.
(Credit: Channel Seven)Ada reflects on filming the spine-chilling scenes
“It was so creepy to put on that wedding dress! I had actually been in Greece on holidays and the day I returned to work, jetlagged, and we filmed these terrifying cabin scenes [laughs]! I absolutely loved being challenged like this.
“Working opposite Adam Booth was fantastic, and he was actually quite scary when the cameras rolled, so it made it easy for me.
“He’s actually quite sweet! It was lovely to film the romantic storyline between Leah and Justin in 2019, but I was thrilled to sink my teeth into a gritty storyline.”
Home and Away airs Monday to Thursday, 7pm, Channel Seven.
