Emmerdale's Thornton injured in crash stunts

Emmerdale's James Thornton has revealed he insisted on stunt driving for his dramatic crash scenes, which left him battered and bruised.

The actor is leaving the Yorkshire soap after two-and-a-half years as farmer John Barton, to spend more time with wife Joanna Page at home in London, and his final scene is a dramatic crash, which leaves John fighting for his life.

James told The Sun: "I love stunt driving so I was in my element.

"They had a stunt driver on standby but I wanted to do it myself to make it more realistic. I ended up with bruises all over my shoulders from being thrown against the sides of the car."

The 36-year-old actor admitted he got so carried away enjoying the stunts it was almost dangerous.

He said: "The crash is quite brutal but it was fun to film. It's a good job we stopped when we did because I think I was getting into it a bit too much. I nearly hit the wall and it was getting a bit dangerous."

The actor's final scenes in Emmerdale air on ITV this week.