Even though she’s played Leah Patterson on Home and Away for more than two decades, Ada Nicodemou still gets excited by what the show’s writers throw at her. ”To still be challenged by this role, it’s incredible,” she says.
”Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I really just want Leah to go serve coffee in the diner, but at the moment, I’m still so inspired.
I’m working with directors who have pushed me and reignited my love for acting, which has been nice.”
WATCH NOW: Ada Nicodemou celebrating Johnas’ birthday
For her efforts this year, Ada is up for Most Popular Actress at this Sunday’s
TV Week Logie Awards. It’s the seventh time she has been nominated in the category. She’s also received three nominations for the Gold during her career.
Ada, 46, admits the older she gets, the more meaningful the recognition becomes. ”I was nominated for Silver and Gold (in 2002). I was quite young and had imposter syndrome,” she recalls.
”I had only been (on HAA) for a year, but the more time goes on, I feel more like, I’ve been doing this for a really long time and I should be proud of this honour.”

When New Idea asked Ada to celebrate her most-recent Logies nod with
a photoshoot, it only felt right that her supportive ‘baby’ Johnas joined in on the fun.
Arriving at our studio, the soccer-obsessed 10-year-old jumps on his iPad as Ada sits down to get her hair and makeup done. However, after 20 minutes, she switches into mum mode. ”That’s enough screen time for today,” she declares.
While the actress stresses it’s not easy convincing her son to limit technology, Johnas surprises everyone when he not only obliges, but gets out a book. Forget Harry Potter, Johnas has come prepared with a rather heavy looking Screenwriting For Dummies.
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”Kids need to be bored to find things to do,” says Ada, insisting that the tech restrictions have lead Johnas to take up screenwriting.
”He just started writing different things. Just before he told me he was writing a movie! It’s really creative and I was impressed,” she says – although Johnas is quietly planning for Ada to finance his big production!
Ada explains that her adoring partner of seven years, Adam Rigby, bought Johnas the book as a way of fine-tuning his craft – before he inevitably sets his sights on Hollywood, of course.
”He still wants to be an international soccer star, but he very much wants to shoot a film. He even told me he’ll need $2000 to do it,” she says with a laugh. Ada admits for a little while she felt Johnas was under the impression that she could snap her fingers and he would be on set, filming his blockbuster.

”I told him he needs to work. He has started washing cars … he’s working hard, I’m just happy that he’s being creative,” she shares.
Interestingly, Ada says Johnas isn’t allowed to watch her hit Channel Seven soap, but he loves stepping in to help his mum learn her lines.”He’ll ask me questions about my work then and I love it because it halves my times,” she jokes.
Most importantly, Ada wants to avoid her son pursuing ”YouTube fame”. ”Kids seem to all just want to be famous, and I think as he gets older he sees the other side of it,” she muses. ”I want Johnas to take from my success, the fact that I work really hard and I sacrificed a lot, including time with him.”
WATCH NOW: Ada Nicodemou fangirling at her son being on TV just like his famous mumma
Ada acknowledges that being a young child at school with a famous mum comes with some peculiar playground moments. ”Johnas was just telling me that some kids at school were looking me up on Wikipedia the other day, and he wasn’t happy about it. I told him that might keep happening, as unfortunately it is really just part of this world.”
As the young, aspiring screenwriter plots his next move, Ada reveals that she and Adam are jetting off to Europe with Johnas for their first family holiday in years.
”I feel at home there,” she says. The long-awaited trip will also see Adam meeting Ada’s extended family in Cyrpus for the first time. While he’s well acquainted with her close family, Ada assures us he’s in for ”one hell of a ride”.