Ada Nicodemou, who plays Leah Patterson on the soap, has been living with a life-altering condition that has left her with intense pain, but said it came from an unorthodox story
Home and Away star Ada Nicodemou has confessed she got a life-changing injury in an unconventional way.
The actress, 47, is best known for her roles in Heartbreak High and in Home and Away, where she plays the role of Leah Patterson. When the cameras are off, however, Ada has admitted that she loves her active lifestyle, but that it has led to her sustaining life-changing conditions.
Speaking to personal trainer Tiffiny Hall on her Bounce Forward podcast, the Home and Away star revealed that she had to change her routine after she sustained the injury. When asked what happened to cause the issue, Ada admitted it was down to a rather embarrassing reason.
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On the show, Ada revealed that she had suffered a herniated disc in her spine, that causes immense pain and changes the ability to walk and sit – leading to mobility issues. However, she admitted that the reason for the herniated disc was down to sneezing.
“I had an injury – now don’t laugh – about a year and a half ago I sneezed,” Ada recalled as host Tiffiny struggled to hold her composure. “I woke up in the morning to go to the gym at 5am and I was in my dressing room getting changed and I perforated a disc – I was in so much pain!”
Nicodemou was taken to the hospital to be checked on, later going on to have surgery for the injury. As a result of this, she sustained a permanently damaged nerve, leaving her with a rather unusual side effect.
Due to the pain that the damaged nerve has caused, Ada now is now living with a permanently numb foot. This now means that her active lifestyle is impacted as she is unable to go running anymore.
She explained that it will “probably never heal properly”, but it sparked a conversation insider her on how to maintain her active lifestyle. “It really made me rethink a lot of things I was doing because I’ve always been fit, I love to exercise, for my mental health now I’ve realised,” she explained.
Thanks to the injury, Ada has now switched up her routines and now classes reformer Pilates as her main form of exercise. This is a far easier workout routine compared to previously, where she mentioned the likes of boxing, weightlifting and spinning.
It comes as Ada’s relationship with Home and Away co-star James Stewart continues to blossom. The pair, who play on-screen couple Leah and Justin, fell for each other despite having both been in the Aussie soap, which airs on Channel 5, since 2016.
In a previous interview confirming their relationship, Ada described the romance as being “very unexpected”. However, this has not stopped the pair from enjoying each other’s company, with Nicodemou saying that she is “super happy” with her beau.
