Home and Away star Ada Nicodemou responds to on-screen brother's return

 Leah's brother Dimitri is back in town – much to Theo's horror.

Home and Away spoilers follow for UK viewers.

Home and Away star Ada Nicodemou has shared her feelings on the dramatic return of her on-screen brother, praising Dimitri Poulos's comeback for providing "such an interesting dynamic" on the soap.

Australian fans recently saw Ada's character Leah Patterson-Baker visit her brother Dimitri in the city, before Dimitri suddenly showed up in Summer Bay looking for his son, Theo (Matt Evans).

UK fans will see Dimitri's return play out on screen next week, as he arrives in the Bay and demands that Theo, who has been staying with his aunt Leah for months, come back home with him.

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Ada has told Inside Soap that her character is "shocked" when Dimitri unexpectedly turns up, although his visit raises her hopes that he and Theo will mend their relationship.

"Dimitri told her before that he didn't want anything to do with his son!" she said. "Although in the long run, I think Leah is hopeful that they can sort it out with Theo."

Unfortunately, Leah has no idea that Dimitri has been physically abusive towards Theo, with Theo having only confided in John Palmer (Shane Withington) about the trauma he faced at home.

When Leah catches Theo and Dimitri fighting, she is shocked – and even more so when Dimitri suddenly turns on Leah, blaming her for driving away his wife, Cassandra, who he has recently separated from.

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"Leah is very shocked by Dimitri's behaviour," Ada said. "Not to mention the way that he's treating Theo. She's very taken aback because it seems quite aggressive."

Although Leah has been harbouring desires for Dimitri and Theo to reconcile, she would likely feel differently if she knew about Dimitri's violent behaviour toward Theo.

"I think she'd be upset, angry and really sad for Theo," Leah said of her character's likely reaction to discovering the truth.

"She would also feel guilty that she hadn't seen it and wasn't able to stop it. But Leah would of course take Theo under her wing – he's family, and she just wants to look after him."

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Dimitri's comeback has also meant the return of actor Salvatore Coco, who has reprised his role as Dimitri after a 17-year absence. And Ada revealed that she has been loving having her former co-star back on set.

"It's been a while since I've seen Sal!" she said. "Dimitri's character has provided such an interesting dynamic for Matt, and it's such a good story. Plus, we haven't seen Leah's family for quite a while.

"Even though this storyline is difficult, it's really great – and it's really lovely to have another dynamic on the show."

Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.15pm on Channel 5 and 6pm on 5STAR. First-look screenings air at 6.30pm on 5STAR and the show also streams on My5. In Australia, the show airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7pm on Channel 7 and streams on 7plus. Selected classic episodes are available via Amazon Prime Video in the UK.