Leah Patterson-Baker

Leah Patterson Baker (nee Poulos) is a fictional character on the Australian soap opera Home and Away portrayed by actress Ada Nicodemou since 2000.

Arrival
Leah first appeared in March 2000. Leah arrived in the bay, after doing a runner from her own wedding. It was one that her father had arranged for her, as part of their Greek tradition but she knew she wasn't going to be happy and took the chance to leave while she could. She was lucky to find love in the bay, in the comical Vinnie Patterson.

Mr. Poulos offered Vinne $50,000 to dump Leah for good
Mr Poulos first and maybe right impression of Vinnie was that he's a no-hoper and nearly revealed him being nothing more than a greedy scumbag when offering him $50,000 to dump Leah for good. Mr Fisher's evidence wasn't favourable either thus Mr Polous rejected his daughter as she refused to come with him. He told her that she was no longer a daughter of his.

A health scare
Leah had a health scare in 2000 when she stepped on a needle on the beach and fell ill soon after, though it wasn't thought to have been because of the needle.

Leah and Vinnie's big fat Greek wedding
It took a long time but Vinnie did finally propose to the young Greek lady. Their 'big fat Greek wedding' was of fairytale standard, but sadly it didn't last long as Vinnie was sent off to prison for a crime his father had committed. This left her the job of bringing up their son VJ, on her own. Luckily her brother Alex helped out and the three of them have been coping.

A very hard decision
Being a single working mum is surely hard enough, but Leah's had it even tougher. When her son was just six months old he was diagnosed as deaf, and she was told that the only way he would be able to hear was for him to have a cochlear implant operation. Leah found the decision a very hard one to make, as she was unable to get in contact with Vinnie and his views. In the end she decided to go through with it, but became closer and closer to Jesse through the process.

The news about Vinnie's death
Then Leah had to deal with the news that Vinnie died in prison on the day that he was due to come home. Throughout his sentence Leah was able to cope with the fact that he'd be home with her in less than a year, but now she no longer had that thread to hold onto. This has made her become much closer to Jesse, Vinnie's old cellmate, though her brother Alex was worried that she may be taking things a little to fast.

Surrogate mother
It did not take long for Alex's theories to come true as Leah and Jesse became an item, though they agreed to take things slowly. When Sally, unable to have children of her own was looking for a surrogate mother, Leah offered to help her and Flynn out. The surrogacy was successful and Leah became pregnant much to the delight of Sally and Flynn. The pregnancy was not an easy one though as all parties struggled with the awkwardness of the situation and Leah began to get closer to Flynn, eventually sharing a kiss with him. Though Sally and Flynn managed to get their marriage back on track, the liason spelled the end of Leah's relationship with Jesse. Eventually Leah gave birth to a healthy baby girl and handed her over to Sally and Flynn. Initially Leah found it difficult not to bond with Baby Pippa and infuriated Sally by breast feeding her but Leah eventually came to terms with the fact that Pippa was Sally and Flynn's child, not hers.

In danger
When Detective Peter Baker arrived in the Bay there was an instant connection between him and Leah as Leah was convinced she knew him from somewhere. After his initial lies about being at school with her were disproved Peter finally admitted that he had been involved in Vinnie's trial and that was likely where she recognised him from. They continued to grow closer with Leah asking Peter to be her date to Pippa's christening and him accepting. At the time Sarah Lewis was terrorising members of the bay and Peter was directly involved in the case. Sarah escaped from the psyciatric unit she was being held in and Peter decided that those involved were in danger. Overhearing him trying to organise a safe house Leah offered her place as Sarah did not know her. A relunctant but grateful Peter agreed. What followed was the siege in which Peter was knocked unconscious and in a state of semi-conciousness he whispered to Leah that Vinnie was still alive. With the siege reaching its tragic climax Peter remained in a coma for several weeks and Leah stayed at his side. When Peter's brother Dan arrived in the bay Leah bonded with him as she searched for answers about Vinnie.

The shocking news; Vinnie was still alive
Dan asked Leah out but things didn't initially go to plan. Firstly there was a mix up over the dress code with Leah dressed to kill and Dan in casuals but after a quick change of clothes he treated her to a picnic only for it to pour down. They continued the picnic in Leah's front room and shared a kiss but a still fragile Leah decided she wanted to take things really slowly. Despite her initial hesitations things with Dan progressed well and they quickly became a couple. With Peter's revelation that Vinnie was still alive but in witness protection, Leah was given the choice to go be with him or stay in the bay with Dan and she chose the latter. Vinnie made one final appearance dressed in a bear suit at VJ's party in order to say goodbye.

Collapsed on the roadside
Leah's life was in danger after she collapsed on the roadside, suffering from appendicitis. After being found by Peter and rushed into hospital, Flynn performed surgery upon her. However, only days later she was rushed back into surgery and it was discovered that Flynn had accidentally left a swab inside her.

Dan proposed to Leah
With Vinnie now in the past Dan proposed and Leah accepted. The arrival of his trouble making son Ryan caused problems for the pair but after the initial problems and tricks played by Ryan on Leah, the two came to accept each other. In the run up to the wedding though Dan's ex wife Amanda arrived in the bay and showed exactly where Ryan got his trouble making streak from. Deliberately sabotaging the wedding whilst appearing to help, Amanda was thwarted when the bay residents banded together and Leah and Dan celebrated their perfect day.

Baby issues
Following the wedding, the couple decided to start trying for a baby, but after some time the couple had not conceived. After undergoing tests, it was revealed that her surgery (and subsequent infection) earlier in the year had caused Leah to become infertile. Desperate for a child with Dan, Leah began saving for IVF. Their relationship though was to suffer a major setback when a trip to the races reignited Dan's old and well hidden gambling habit. Having spent the money for their IVF Dan borrowed money from everywhere and anywhere and managed to scrape together the cash for Leah to undergo the treatment. Dan's creditors though became more dangerous and after threatening Ryan's life Dudley, who Dan owed money too, took Leah hostage. Leah's school friend Rachel Armstrong arrived and was also held hostage untuil they were rescued with the arrival of Dan's brother Peter. The incident spelled the end of Dan and Leah's relationship, despite the fact that she was pregnant with his child.

Peter and Leah
Growing closer to Peter, Leah shared a kiss with him and for a while was unsure of her feelings but when she fell off a cliff and wound up in hospital she realised it was Dan she loved. The pair were reunited but further heartache was in store when Leah collapsed and was rushed to hospital with pneumonia subsequently losing her baby. Dan and Leah pushed each other away rather than supporting each other and despite staying together the cracks were already beginning to show. Dan overheard Peter and Leah discussing their kiss and reacted furiously, refusing to speak to Leah and turning to alcohol he was briefly reunited with his ex Amanda. He quickly realised that Amanda was a mistake and when he told her so Amanda decided to take off with Ryan. With Leah unsure of whether to take him back Dan began to spiral further out of control. When he endangered the life of Leah's son VJ, who drank alcohol after Dan fell asleep while minding him, a furious Leah wanted nothing more to do with him.

Dan in hospital
Devastated Dan continued to drink and after crashing his car he was left critically ill in hospital. With the forensic revelation that Dan had tried to take his own life, Leah felt incredibly guilty and when he came round and said it was an accident, she decided to stand by him. Dan though had suffered a severe head injury in the crash and underwent a personality disorder. Snapping at the drop of a hat, biting peoples heads off and kissing Sally, he eventually ran off only to collapse and hallucinate in the bush. Luckily he was found in time and made a full recovery with him and Leah reuniting.

Leah and Dan, stronger than ever
After coming through their rocky patch Leah and Dan seemed stronger than ever and Leah supported Dan when he believed his brother Peter had died in the explosion at Jack and Martha's wedding. The revelation that Peter had a son led to Drew Curtis coming to stay with them and Peter too when it was revealed that he was actually still alive and had been in witness protection. Through later 2006 and early 2007 Leah took a back seat with regards to storylines and her life revolved around her now happy relationship with Dan, their family and running her business The Diner.

Went to Greece
Leah went to Greece to bail out her brother Alex who had been arrested for trafficking prescription drugs and he followed her back to the bay. At first she bought his lines about not having money but she quickly became suspicious of him and when VJ disappeared whilst in his care she was furious. VJ was found safe and well but with a stash of Alex's drugs and Leah reacted furiously, throwing him out and telling him how ashamed she was.

Jazz in town
When Drew's mother Jazz Curtis arrived in town and moved herself in with them, Leah was distinctly put off and made her feelings clear to Jazz. After Jazz made a move on Dan, Leah threw her out. She was upset when Drew seemingly chose to live with Jazz over them.

Back together with Dan
After Sally turned down Brad's proposal, the boys went out on a boat and were missing in a storm. Leah, worried sick about Dan was upset to realise that he had remembered their anniversary when she had forgotten. Luckily he was returned to her unharmed and Leah told him she loved him more than ever.

The aftermath of Sally and Brad's wedding
She supported Sally in the aftermath of her aborted wedding to Brad and missed Dan like crazy when he went away on a field trip. She attempted to surprise him by dressing up in a French maid's outfit at the Diner but was horrified when he bought his pupils along with him.

Dan's Death
Leah became suspicious when she found a number for a woman in Dan's possessions. She phoned the number and it was answered by an American woman. Furious, she accused Dan of having an affair and he admitted that he had been offered the job of a lifetime in America. At first Leah had her doubts about leaving the bay but after a talk with Colleen, she decided her place was at Dan's side and agreed to move. She and Dan spent a day at the beach with Ryan, VJ and Drew before Dan packed his bags and headed to America. Leah stayed behind to get things in order and organised to sell her share of The Diner to Roman. On one of her final shifts she took a phone call and collapsed sobbing on The Diner floor; Dan had died, abseiling in America.

The aftermath of Dan's death
Devastated, Leah refused to speak to anyone before eventually breaking down and screaming. After talking to Rachel and later Sally as they shared their guilt over Dan's death she began to come to terms with things. The arrival of Jazz and Amanda provided some light relief in the run up to Dan's memorial, at which Leah gave a touching speech. She was shocked when an American man turned up and told her that Dan had died saving his son and gave her $100,000 to set up a tribute to Dan. With Irene and Roman she bought the new Diner and set about creating a place for kids to hang out, something Dan had dreamed of.

Feelings of Miles Copeland
Later in 2008, Leah started to have feelings for Miles Copeland which after a heart-to-heart they decided not to act on. Leah nevertheless acted jealously towards Kirsty Phillips when she started dating Miles but eventually learned to be happy for them and to try and rebuild her friendship with them.

The Den
Leah was chef and later co-owner of the Beachside Diner but sold her share when she was planning to follow Dan to America. Following his death, she made a failed attempt to set up the Den, a place for teenagers to hang out, in his name but the business went bankrupt. She is now a partner in the Pier Diner.

VJ gets kidnapped
In 2009 her son VJ gets kidnapped by Brian. He does this because he owes someone 30,000 dollars and because of Bridget he knows Leah has just been given 100,000 dollars for insurance money. VJ is returned to Leah after a few hours.

Leah's 30th Birthday
Leah is forced to put on a brave face at the party when her brother Chris reveals that their bickering parents Theo and Helen have decided to separate, following Theo's business going under. After overhearing Freya comment on how dull the party is, Leah knocks back some drinks in an effort to liven the place up. Long term fans of the show will remember what happens when Leah has too much to drink, and in true fashion she gets up on the table for a dance. Thankfully Roman is at hand to catch her when she inevitably falls off. She later repays him by giving him a quick snog in the kitchen, before throwing up over him. The next day Leah is nursing a terrible hangover and has a plan to help Helen and Theo with their predicament. However this act of kindness will later leave Leah with an unexpected housemate...her father Theo. Theo decides to move in with Leah and VJ after his separation from Helen but soon starts to annoy both Leah and VJ and decides to leave for Greece. But Leah eventually stops him from leaving for Greece by telling Helen and Chris about his plans. Eventually Theo decides to stay and Helen decides to give her marriage to Theo another go.

Leah and Roman
Leah and Roman's friendship eventually grows closer as at Colleen's speed dating night Roman becomes jealous of Leah meeting a man named George and getting his number but dosen't tell Leah about his jealousy. Leah eventually decides that she and George don't have a spark between them so just decides to remain friends and she is also happy about how thoughtful Roman is for giving her a belated birthday present to go to a masterclass cooking session for her to go to with someone who she can choose to go with and Roman secretly hopes that she asks him to join her. Leah tells Roman how she would like to repeat the kiss they had on her 30th birthday when she was drunk and Roman is delighted. Soon Roman starts to bond with VJ but he gets jealous of the idea of his mum dating as his behaviour turns bad.

Leah and Roman are involved in a car accident in early march, which is later revealed to be caused by Xavier's brother Brendan, using a catapault. Althought Leah is fine, Roman wakes from a coma blind. Roman breaks up with Leah and later leaves the Bay and daughter Nicole behind.

Hugo
It has been rumored that Hugo and Leah start daing after Roman breaks up with her.