Home and Away Spoilers – Leah lashes out as she relives her kidnap horror
Next week on Home and Away in the UK, as Leah looks to move forward from her horrific kidnapping ordeal by starting back at work, an incident with a customer makes her realise she has to face her trauma head on…
Whilst Leah (Ada Nicodemou) has been taking tentative steps to regain a sense of normality following her kidnap, with the support of boyfriend Justin (James Stewart), she’s still got a long way on the road to recovery.
This week, Leah receives a call from the prosecutor, who tells her that her kidnapper Douglas is pleading guilty, and therefore Leah won’t have to testify against him. Whilst this brings some relief to Leah and Justin, they have asked if she’d be willing to provide a victim impact statement, which could influence Douglas’ sentencing.
Leah seeks advice from Justin, Marilyn (Emily Symons) and Irene (Lynne McGranger) who are all in agreement that she’s the only one who can make that decision—they will support her no matter what.
However whilst feeling it’s the right thing to do, Leah decides against providing the statement, explaining that she’s lost enough sleep because of Douglas.
“Leah has decided she simply can’t bring herself to rehash and relive everything,” Ada told New Idea. “She says that she just wants to move on with her life.”
The next day, Leah returns to work at the diner, much to the joy of Irene and Marilyn.
Justin can’t help but feel that Leah may be rushing into things, however he’s conscious of being overbearing so keeps popping in throughout the day. As he orders his fourth coffee however, Irene tells him that Leah needs to do this by herself, and she’ll keep an eye on her.
As the diner gets busier later in the day, Leah finds herself having to deal with the customers directly. Things seem to be going fine until Colby (Tim Franklin) walks in. It’s the first time Leah has seen the policeman since he was stabbed whilst apprehending Douglas, and she’s brought back down to earth with a huge bump.
Shortly afterwards, another customer receives an incorrect order and innocently calls Leah “sweetheart” as he asks for it to be corrected.
As Leah’s suddenly taken back to her kidnap ordeal, where “sweetheart” was Douglas’ favoured petname for her, Leah lashes out at the customer.
She quickly snaps out of it when Irene asks what’s going on, and tries to apologise to the customer, but he can’t get out of the diner quick enough.
“So many things at the moment are triggering Leah to feel as though she is back at the house with Douglas just when she is starting to think she might be OK again,” Ada continued. “She has PTSD and is really struggling to cope. She keeps on having flashbacks.”
Leah downloads to Justin and admits she’s probably been in denial—she now realises that trying to carry on with life as normal isn’t going to work, and she needs to face her trauma head on if she has any chance of moving forward.
She decides that she has to provide the victim impact statement, in the hope that talking through her issues will help matters.
Justin accompanies Leah to the police station, where Victim Services officer Ingrid Stone (Amy Kersey) helps her put together her statement.
Leah breaks down as she details the horrific trauma she suffered at the hands of Douglas, and how it has affected her everyday life.
“Leah has to put herself back in the headspace of what it was like to be at the house, experiencing what she experienced back then,” Ada says. “It’s incredibly difficult for Leah to have to now relive the nightmare. It’s so traumatic.”
As he looks on, Leah admits the full extent of how it has affected her relationship with Justin, and whilst she praises his patience, she admits that his touch makes her skin crawl. She worries that she will never be able to accept any affection from him again.
How will Justin react to hearing such difficult words from the love of his life?
“Leah needs space. She needs to breathe, and she needs to try and find out who she is again,” Ada told New Idea. “She also feels so lost and scared that she will not be able to get back to how she was before. She starts to think that she may never recover from the experience. She really is beginning to lose hope. It’s such a sensitive time.”
Here’s the full spoilers for next week’s Home and Away in the UK:
Monday 25th May (Episode 7311)
Ben’s in turmoil after Maggie drops a bombshell. Marilyn opens up to John about why she insisted on taking the Paratas in. Tori and Jasmine bond.
Tuesday 26th May (Episode 7312)
Ziggy’s hunger for the truth could tear her family apart. A phone call threatens to derail Leah’s recovery. Willow starts to crack.
Wednesday 27th May (Episode 7313)
Colby’s thrown to learn about Mac and Ari. Leah is triggered by a diner customer. Bella and Nikau enjoy time together.
Thursday 28th May (Episode 7314)
Bella believes she’s ready to take her relationship to the next level. Ari is treading in dangerous waters by pursuing Mac. Justin finds it hard to hear the details of Leah’s impact statement.
Friday 29th May (Episode 7315)
Bella reaches crisis point. Nikau is forced to break his family’s cycle with running from police. Maggie’s ostracised by her family.