Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou stars as Leah Patterson-Baker in Home and Away, a single mother who has a strong work ethic and stands up for what she believes inSOAP star Ada Nicodemou and her husband Chrys Xipolitas have revealed how they got their marriage back on track after a tumultuous year.
The couple credit a Mediterranean holiday for inspiring their "new baby", a Greek-Cypriot restaurant called Island, in Sans Souci, and for reigniting their love.
We're in a really good happy place," said Home And Away actor and Dancing with the Stars winner Nicodemou, 33, with her arms wrapped around her chef husband in the restaurant they share.
"Yeah, it's been an eventful year, although I wouldn't change any of it. We're both really happy to be in the place we are at now.
"We're spending more and more time together – especially now with the restaurant opening – and we make sure we have our little date night and do things together even if it's just walking the dog."
At their biggest relationship crisis point in April, Nicodemou was spotted without her wedding ring and the couple were said to have separated after three years of marriage following a disastrous period during which Zippo's – a restaurant Xipolitas owned at Blakehurst – was gutted by fire. At his worst, he was unable to get out of bed for days on end.
"We were never officially separated but what do you do when you have problems? You work at them," she said.
"Sometimes it's easier to give up."
When Xipolitas, 36, went into South Pacific Private, a rehabilitation clinic at Curl Curl, the couple's attempt to keep it low-key were thwarted by paparazzi.
"I was just trying to give him the space he need to deal with what he needed to deal with and it was nice to have time apart and realise what you really want," Nicodemou said.
"And when I picked him up I knew I wanted him, I missed him during the six weeks."
For Xipolitas, who battled with depression and the medication he was prescribed for it, said taking time out in the clinic was important: "I didn't want family and friends to visit because I'd been there before and you look forward to them coming and then you get down when they leave – I just needed to be by myself.
"I'm not saying it's all under control but I no longer feel I have depression and I'm not on medication.
"Now I talk about things. I used to try and tackle things on my own and I would feel the pressure build up inside. Parts of me would get flustered which was a trigger and make me feel not in control. But saying it out loud as I feel it is so new for me, and I really feel Ada and I are a team now."
It was during their sojourn to Cyprus, Rhodes, Santorini and Athens that the couple reconnected. It was also there that Nicodemou came up with the idea for the restaurant.
"We tasted all those flavours from our childhoods again and I just had an idea to bring it to Sydney," she said.
"I've been waitressing and been the dish pig and mopping the floor and cleaning the windows this week, I've been doing everything."
Xipolitas added: "Because we are on the main road, people stop and take a second and third look."
Ada was born on 14 May 1977 and grew up in Sydney, New South Wales.
Ada Nicodemou stars as Leah Patterson-Baker in Home and Away, a single mother who has a strong work ethic and stands up for what she believes in.
Ada started acting at the age of 16 and her previous television credits include three years on Heartbreak High, two years on Breakers and one year on Police Rescue, Ada also featured on an American television series Beast Masters and appeared in a cameo role in the film Matrix starring Keanu Reaves.
In 2005, Ada competed in and won the grand final of Channel Seven’s Dancing with the Stars with professional dance partner, Aric Yegudkin.
In 2007, Ada married her partner Chrys, and they currently reside in Sydney’s southern suburbs.
Ada started filming with the show in 1999 and(along with Ray Meagher) is one of the longest serving cast members of the successful drama centred on the residents of Summer Bay. “There is still not a day where I don’t enjoy coming to work. I am surrounded by lovely people who have become my family.”
On her character, Ada says: “Leah is fiercely loyal and always goes the extra distance for her friends. The most important person in her world is her son VJ. Leah is someone I would love to have as a best friend – she has been part of my life for ten years.”
To relax, Ada loves going to the movies, reading and spending time with friends. She goes dancing, keeps fit and loves walking on the beach and traveling. Ada’s dream trip would be to take her husband to Santorini in Greece.
Ada has been nominated for numerous Gold and Silver Logies at the TV WEEK LOGIE AWARDS since joining Home and Away.While there was no official word on the split yesterday, Confidential was told Nicodemou and her husband Chrys Xipolitas have decided their relationship is not working just three years after they married, and have decided to take time out.
"It has happened but it's just too personal for either of them to talk about it right now," a source told Confidential.
"She won't be commenting one way or the other at the moment."
Nicodemou, who was not wearing her wedding ring yesterday, has long been one of Australia's best-known actresses and married Xipolitas in 2007.
She works extensive hours playing Leah on the long-running Channel 7 soap, which is alternatively filmed in Palm Beach and Redfern, with days stretching from dawn to dusk, depending on the production schedule.
Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou
.jpg "Ada Nicodemou Photos")
Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou
