NEW LOVE, NEW BODY
Meet the man who’s inspired her best body at 41
There’s no other word for it—ada Nicodemou looks incredible. There’s the trademark gorgeous smile and her usual pocketrocket energy, and as she poses in a black bikini on a sunny winter’s afternoon, a newfound happiness radiates from every pore. It’s not just that she’s showcasing the best body she’s ever had—the work of an intense eight-week program—but there’s a secret weapon looking on in the form of her new love, entrepreneur Adam Rigby.
Clearly, he’s her greatest champion. “Babe, you look like a Sports’ model right now,” he says, referring to the annual swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated magazine that features some of the world’s best bodies. The pair met at a Channel Seven event 18 months ago and it’s only now the Home and Away favourite feels comfortable about sharing her new relationship. “Life is really good at the moment,” Nicodemou says, glancing over at the handsome entrepreneur. “I’m feeling really happy.”
After a heartbreaking few years which included the stillbirth of her second son and the end of her nine-year marriage, Nicodemou has not just allowed herself to love again, she’s determined to take on her 40s in the best shape possible. In the aftermath of losing baby Harrison in 2014, she said she could never be “completely happy again” but four years on
she’s honouring both her sons—eldest son Johnas is 5—by embracing life and all it offers. “I’ve made a decision to be happy,” she says, “and I’m choosing to enjoy my life a lot more.”
To that end, she decided earlier this year to prioritise herself, and focus on her health and fitness. “I’ve always exercised and eaten pretty well but nothing was shifting,” she says. “I was feeling tired, lethargic and not very motivated.” Having celebrated her 40th birthday in Italy the previous year, Nicodemou concedes she hadn’t stopped indulging, with the champagne still flowing and her sweet tooth showing no sign of abating. So she signed up for the two-month challenge with Sydney trainer Lia Jones of Fit Me Jones. The intention was not to lose kilos but to gain strength and energy, reduce body fat and sculpt. As she says: “I wanted to be the best version of myself at 41 and put myself first for a little bit.”
Rigby got on board as well and the pair have been training at least five times a week and following the Keto Diet, which involves cutting out carbs, fruit and alcohol but filling up on fats, meat, fish, chicken and vegetables. Weeks later as she switches from bikinis to exercise gear, her body is sculpted, her skin glows and she seems as if she’s running her life rather than it running her. “I’m so proud of myself,” she acknowledges. “I’ve got the best body I’ve ever had, but I’ve worked really hard and it wasn’t easy.”
Having “a goal and an endpoint” in the
form of WHO’S photo shoot kept Nicodemou motivated but it helped that she and Rigby were doing it together. “I don’t want to let him down and he doesn’t want to let me down,” she says. “He’s not drinking so I’m not drinking—that makes it easier.” Asked if she’ll continue as a teetotaller, however, and she bursts out laughing. “Oh, that’s crazy talk. I’ll stick to this way of eating but it’ll be 80/20—80 per cent sticking to it and 20 per cent relaxing it a bit. Life is to be enjoyed.”
Nicodemou has gone from 52 kilos down to 47 on the morning of our shoot, but says it’s not the numbers but her energy levels that are the most gratifying. As she says, she’s light, but at 1.55m, even a little extra weight shows on her: “I was one of those people who’d eat big meals every two hours but now it’s three meals a day. I wake up in the morning and plan what I’m going to eat.”
As for exercise, Nicodemou concentrates on strength training while at the gym, but on the days she can’t make it, she gets up around 4.30 AM to 5 AM to work out at home. She does exercises using her body weight, a skipping rope and bands, and does a series of crab walks, sit-ups and push-ups every day on top of her gym work. “I’ve noticed a real shift in my body,” she says. “My waist is smaller, my legs and arms have more shape and my booty has lifted—which was one of my goals.”
But the program hasn’t just brought physical benefits. With Rigby’s love and support, she says she’s bolder than she’s ever been. Dating the businessman, who has been involved in many start-ups, including realestate agency Upside Realty, has taught her to step outside her comfort zone. She and Rigby, 49, recently celebrated their birthdays with a weekend staying in Wolgan Valley and Nicodemou laughs at how she finally got on a horse again having been scared off in her childhood. “Going horse riding doesn’t mean a lot to most people but a bad experience had left me scared of horses. It was all in my head so I gave it a go and loved it. Besides, the horse’s name was Marshmellow! At 41, I’m no longer sweating the small stuff.”
While she’s busy raising Johnas, who is mad on sport, and playing Leah Patterson- Baker on Home and Away, Nicodemou says she enjoys the balance. She adores her work colleagues, prefers playing with her son to doing housework and is enjoying her time with Rigby, who has a stepdaughter from a previous relationship. She refuses to discuss whether they’ll marry or have children together, but she’s happy for the world to know they’re in love. And with that, the pair are off—to buy new shoes for Rigby. As he says: “She’s so much better at this stuff than me.”