Leah Helena Adara Poulos/Patterson/Patterson-Baker (2000-)
Ada Nicodemou
Episodes: 2793 - Present
Parents: Helen and Theo Poulos
Siblings: Dmirti Poulos, Chris Poulos and Alex Poulos
Children: VJ Patterson
Marital Status: Vinnie Patterson (2001-2002, deceased), Dan Baker (2005)
Occupation: Chef; Part Owner of Diner
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 first and maybe right impression of Vinnie was that he's a no-hoper and nearly revealed him being nought 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.
Leah had a health scare in 2000 when she stepped on a needle on the beach and feel ill soon after, thought it wasn't thought to have been for the needle.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 seige in which Peter was knocked unconcious and in a state of semi-conciousness he whispered to Leah that Vinnie was still alive. With the seige 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.
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.
Leah's life was in danger after she collapsed on the roadside, suffering from appendicitus. 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.
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.
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.
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.
Devastated Dan continued to drink and after crashing his car he was left critically ill in hospital. Woth the forensic revelation that Dan had tried to take his own life, Leah fel 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Unfortunately, despite Leah's best efforts, the Den struggled from the outset. The Den's biggest challenge came when Gavin and the Coastal News threatened to cause trouble but Leah and Belle managed to get the better of him by gaining support from a city newspaper. However, it wasn't long before Leah had to admit defeat and realise that the Den was not financially viable. She was devastated by this as she felt she had let Dan down. Irene and Roman tried their best to convince her this wasn't the case and offered her a partnership in the new Diner which she happily accepted.
Throughout 2008 Leah struggled with her feelings for Miles. She could feel herself being drawn to him to tried to fight her attraction by keeping her distance and stopping VJ from seeing him. However, after a heart to heart they decided to be friends as Leah felt she wasn't ready for a new relationship yet. Soon after Miles developed a friendship with Kirsty and Leah began to feel jealous. Rachel encouraged her to talk to Miles about her feelings but when she did they were interrupted by Kirsty. Leah then decided to leave things as they were and move on with her life. She later found out that Kirsty and Miles were in a relationship.
When Rachel was stressed before her wedding to Tony, Leah tried to ease her concerns. However, when Rachel disappeared on her wedding day, Leah began a frantic search. After looking at Rachel's emails she was forced to tell Tony that she thought Rachel had run off with Hugh. After it was discovered that Rachel had been kidnapped by Aden, Leah was the first to greet her best friend. She felt guilty that she had doubted Rachel and tried to support her in aftermath as much as she could.
When Kirsty lost her job at the school, Leah helped her to get a job at The Sands. She also began to feel more comfortable with being friends with Miles and the two of them took advantage of two spare tickets for a ball at The Sands. They had a great time and realised how much they liked spending time together. However, when she found out Kirsty was working as an escort to pay for Kane's appeal she felt very strongly about it and felt she had to stick up for Miles. Leah gave Kirsty a huge serve about hurting Miles but unfortunately this did not go down too well with Miles and they had a blazing row. Leah also fell out with Irene over the situation but were soon friends again after Colleen intervened.
When Miles and Kirsty got back together Leah admitted to Rachel that she was sick of being a horrible person and bitter about everything. She decided to explain why she reacted the way she did to Miles and Kirsty and they all agreed to be friends.
Towards to end of the year Leah had trouble with VJ rebelling. He and Leah began to clash over everything and he disappeared when Colleen was looking after him. Jai and Annie found his bike near the stormwater drain and began to search for him. Jai located him, much to Leah's relief, but Annie and Charlie were left in danger as a result. Luckily everything turned out fine and Leah made VJ apologise for causing the whole thing. Later VJ admitted to Leah that he missed having a father figure in his life and Leah agreed that he could spend time with Miles.
At the end of year school formal, Leah was involved in doing the catering. However, when Kane's car crashed into the hall, Leah life was left hanging in the balance but she managed to walk away unscathed. Leah was a victim of a scam when Bridget tried to get her hands on the money Leah was to receive from Dan. When Bridget failed her accomplice Brian kidnapped VJ and asked Leah for ransom money. A terrified Leah managed to get hold of the money and swore her friends and family to silence but a guilty Bridget called the police and Brian overheard the police report over the radio and panicked, driving away with VJ and leaving Leah distraught. The police managed to intercept Brian and rescue VJ.
Leah finally managed to use Dan's money to set up a memorial for him at the school and her parents returned to town to support her during the anniversary of his death and plan a party for her 30th. Leah wanted a small get together but her mother had other ideas and weeks of wrangling ensued before her mother, father and brother Chris arrived in town. They had news for Leah though as after a lot of fighting, Helen and Theo announced that they were separating. Infuriated by them and after overhearing Freya say her party was boring, Leah got drunk, snapped at her mother, did some table dancing and was rescued by Roman when she fell off. She later kissed him and then vomited all over him.
The next day Leah didn't remember anything and Roman failed to tell her. Instead she tried to broker peace between her parents but her mother insisted that it wouldn't work and left town with Leah's father announcing his intention to stay with her. After a few weeks of him driving her crazy he realised he needed to sort things out and left the bay, leaving Leah in peace. At a speed dating night Leah got a match with a guy named George but also spent an enjoyable time with Roman. He bought her cooking masterclasses for her birthday and was upset when she chose to take George. After VJ reacted badly to her dating George, she broke things off with him and Roman spent some time with him. Wanting to thank him for helping her, Leah invited him, Rachel and Tony to lunch but just before lunch she remembered kissing him at her party. She was embarrassed and admitted to Rachel that she liked him and even Tony noticed the chemistry between them. After lunch he asked if she was avoiding him and she told hims he remembered the kiss, Roman asked her if she'd like to try it again properly and they kissed once more.
After being outed frolicking at Martha's farm, Roman told Nicole about him and Leah and she reacted well but VJ wasn't so easy and was furious when he heard the news from an unsuspecting Nicole. As Leah and Roman argued about the situation with VJ, their car was hit by a rock thrown by Brendan and Roman was injured and left blind. In the aftermath he pushed Leah away, ending things with her.
Leah agreed to take Nicole in when Roman told her to leave the house but gave both Roman and Gardy a serve over the situation. She also turned up at Irene's house with impeccable timing to inadvertedly prevent Belle confronting her about her drinking. She supported Rachel in hospital when she nearly went into premature labour and later offered her some reassurance when Rachel worried she would be left at home on her own after she gave birth. After Colleen theorised that Kirsty might be pregnant, Leah questioned her about it and Kirsty revealed she and Miles were trying...so Leah was more than a little curious to find contraceptive pills in her bag, even after Kirsty claimed they were old ones.
She found herself in the role of confidante when first Charlie told her about her relationship with Angelo and then Kirsty admitted to her that she wasn't as keen on the idea of a baby as Miles was. She was also pleased to learn of Martha and Hugo's relationship and went to the hospital with Rachel when she went into labour for real. She was the first person to meet the Walkers when they arrived in town and spoke with Jody about Sid's frequent infidelity, leaving her with a low opinion of Sid, especially when he didn't realise Indigo and Dexter were meant to be in school. Her attitude towards him softened slightly later and when Colleen began spreading gossip about him and Nicole, Leah defended him.
After visiting Roman in jail, Leah bought his share of the business so he could pay off his mortgage. She had to cope with Charlie and Ruby's family dramas when first Ruby found out Charlie was her mother and then Ross decided to go into a home. She committed a major blunder when she gave Grant Charlie's telephone number after he claimed to be an ex-colleague of hers. She found herself being charmed by Detective Robert Robertson, even though he was investigating her housemate Charlie and questioned her about Charlie's whereabouts on the night Grant was killed. After commenting that she needed some excitement in her life, he invited her out on a date and gave her 24 hours to decide. At the end of the deadline, she told him she just wanted to go home and sleep and he told her he was impressed by her honesty. She later agreed to a dinner at an Italian restaurant but Robert had to pull out to deal with the case. She helped Rachel and Tony with Harry and, when Harry was hospitalised after Rachel fell asleep on him, correctly guessed that she was suffering from post-natal depression. She and Robert went on a picnic date to the beach where he managed to charm her further. However, she was upset when she learned the full extent of his habit of telling tall stories, feeling he had been dishonest with her. Although they put it behind them, Robert was quickly ordered back to the city when he solved his case. Leah gave him a farewell kiss and he left her a painting as a farewell present.
Leah once more got in the way of Miles and Kirsty's relationship when she saw Kirsty being comforted by her friend Justin and told Miles she thought they were having an affair; in fact, Kirsty was pregnant. She was worried when the fridge at the Diner was discovered to be faulty after they'd been serving food from it all day and, when Kirsty was hospitalised and suffered a miscarriage, she confessed to Miles she thought she might have given her food poisoning and was relieved to learn that wasn't the case. After Kirsty left town, Leah and Miles began spending time together again. Leah was annoyed when VJ threw a water bomb at Miles's car and subsequently disabled the safeties at the Diner so people could access adult sites on the computers, then learned he had been forced into it by bullies at school. She and Miles went to confront Ian Radcliffe, the father of ring leader Riley, and Leah felt guilty when instead Miles was attacked by Riley and his friends and ended up on assault charges and relieved when the matter was dropped. She was shocked when Miles misinterpreted her comment about feeling ready to start a new relationship and kissed her, making it clear she wasn't talking about him. In fact, the person who had caught her eye was Hazem Kassir, a joiner who had helped with the Diner refit, and she brought him along as her date to the town Christmas party.
Leah was originally reluctant to go on a date with Hazem after her failed relationship with Robert but they ended up having dinner together and enjoying it before going on a picnic. With racial tensions rising in the aftermath of the people smuggling revelations, Leah witnessed Hazem being taunted by a couple of drunks. The incident caused her to express her doubts about the pro-refugee rally being held at the Diner but Irene, Ruby and Hazem persuaded her to go along with it. However, as she and Hazem arrived they were attacked by a racist mob, with Hazem being badly beaten and Leah suffering some minor injuries. She then had to go through the experience of the Diner being firebombed with her inside it, only surviving thanks to Alf, Miles and Geoff. When Hazem was left needing emergency neurosurgery, she reflected on how every man she cared about had something bad happen to them.
Once Leah was discharged from hospital, and having paid a depressing visit to the wrecked Diner, she shut herself away at home, not changing out of her dressing gown, leaving VJ in the city and quickly getting rid of Miles, Alf, Geoff, Ruby and Irene when they came round. When Rachel visited, she admitted she hadn't left the house in a week but refused counselling, although she later broke down in tears when Colleen visited. In the end, Miles visited her with information about agoraphobia and, after teaching her some relaxation techniques, persuaded her to take a walk down to the remains of the Diner with him. After more talks from Miles and Alf, she found the strength to visit Hazem at the hospital in the city, where she was shocked to find his mother seemed to think their relationship was more serious than it was and expected her and VJ to move to the city to be with Hazem. She was willing to go along with it but Hazem realised she didn't love him and they went their separate ways.
Leah was reluctant to hold a big reopening of the Diner despite Irene and Colleen's encouragement, feeling they had nothing to celebrate, but John Palmer convinced her it would show they hadn't been beaten. However, the crowd caused her agoraphobia to kick in and she ended up shutting herself away in the store room in a panic until Martha and Charlie talked her out. Tony suggested she try to build up her confidence by taking self defence classes, which were being run by the new vicar, Elijah Johnson. After she found the group uncomfortable, Elijah offered to give her private lessons in exchange for discounts at the Diner for his retreat but after Irene and Ruby teased her about how good looking he was and they had shared a coffee together she was shocked to realise she was attracted to him. She admitted her feelings to Irene, only for Miles and Colleen to overhear, and ended up walking out of a private session because she felt uncomfortable. She covered and told him she was ready to rejoin the main group instead of having private sessions but this merely resulted in her being paired with him as her partner until he became equally uncomfortable and switched partners. The pair then ended up being locked in a caravan by Rabbit after which Miles admitted to her that he had accidentally told Elijah about her feelings. She felt humiliated and refused to talk to him, before coming round and bringing him food as a peace offering. Miles then accidentally told Leah that Elijah felt the same way, resulting in her asking him out to dinner.
After their first date and first kiss, despite him walking in on her in a face pack, Leah was slightly worried that Elijah didn't want to introduce her to his colleagues. Elijah then revealed a secret he'd been keeping: that Vinnie had died in a farm accident eighteen months previous. When VJ overheard them talking, Leah was forced to admit that she'd known Vinnie was alive and struggled to explain her decision to keep it from him. She was uncertain when Elijah suggested taking them both to visit Vinnie's grave but agreed when it became clear VJ was keen on the idea. On seeing the grave she was finally able to grieve for him and feel she had had some closure. She was worried when Elijah pulled away from her and, even after he introduced her to a colleague, worried he might not believe in sex before marriage. She was quickly convinced otherwise when they spent the night together. Their relationship came under scrutiny when Elijah's retreat colleagues visited the town, including the notorious Bishop Pitt, who caught them kissing in her car after they tried to hide the relationship from him. After Leah defended the relationship, he gave them his blessing.
Leah was shocked to learn about Miles' visions of Rabbit, when he turned up at the house to give her and Elijah a warning about cows, little horses and school children, and wasn't keen on Elijah's plan to play along. However, she became something of a convert when one of Miles' visions allowed him to save their lives after they passed out in a gas-filled barn on a school trip. She was shocked when, after spending the whole evening quizzing her about her opinions on various subjects, Elijah proposed to her and turned him down, feeling it was too early in their relationship. She was reiterating her belief that things were better as they were when Nicole turned up with an engagement ring Elijah had bought for her. She ended up breaking up with him, feeling she couldn't give him what he wanted. However, when he made it clear how much he cared about her, she changed her mind and told him to ask her again, accepting this time.
She initially ignored Elijah's warnings about his parents, worrying that he felt they wouldn't like her. When Elijah decided to cancel their visit because the rectory was under repair, Leah rang them and invited them to stay with her and also suggested Elijah move in. Elijah gave her a complicated list of dos and don'ts but she seemed to make a good first impression on the domineering Lijuana. She was worried that their constant arguing pointed the way to her and Elijah's future but his father Song convinced her otherwise. However, the stress of their presence caused many arguments, as she and Elijah went to the Diner to escape Lijuan's cooking advice only for her to turn up with a meal. After a comment from Elijah led Lijuan and Song to believe Leah didn't want them there, she admitted that she did find their presence stressful but told them families were like that, leaving them impressed with her honesty. Lijuan then placed a traditional document on top of the fridge to see if the signs indicated a successful marriage and when Lijuan suffered a toothache that was considered a bad omen she objected to the fact Elijah was unwilling to stand up to them, sparking an argument. However, talks from Irene, Colleen and Song and Elijah making it clear he was committed to her left them in a better place by the time the pair left.