James Thornton played John Barton in Emmerdale for less than three years before he was killed off in a car crash and the actor has since been leading a quiet life away from the spotlight

It’s been 13 years since James Thornton bid farewell to Emmerdale, leaving the Dales behind as his character John Barton perished in a tragic car accident.

This heart-wrenching event came shortly after mending his relationship with wife Moira Barton (now Dingle). The Bartons took over Butler’s Farm back in 2009, hailed as “sexy, modern and contemporary”.

Before his on-screen debut, Gavin Blyth, the series producer at that time, described James’ character as “a very charismatic and modern farmer”.

However, after less than three years and a slew of headline-making story arcs, James stepped away from the role during some gripping episodes. Since then, he’s stepped back from the limelight, leading a more low-key life with his well-known wife and their brood of four young ones.

James Thornton played John Barton in Emmerdale for three years

Let’s dive into James’ career highlights, how a real-life car mishap led to a reworking of Emmerdale scripts, and his life away from our screens.

Born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, 49 year old James cut his teeth in acting with roles in a variety of television series, such as The Lakes, Playing The Field, Red Cap, and No Angels. His first foray into Emmerdale was in 1995, well before he became John Barton.

Stepping into John’s shoes in 2009, he starred opposite Natalie J Robb as Moira, his wife and childhood sweetheart. Their marriage started out rock-solid until a fateful kiss between John and Eve Jenson (played by Suzanne Shaw) shook things up.

A couple of twists later, including Moira’s affair with Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), saw John grappling with forgiveness, only to realise he couldn’t live without her.

John perished in a tragic car accident (Image: ITV)

James Thornton, after a mere two years on Emmerdale, announced his departure from the soap that often kept him away from home for extended periods. His character met a dramatic end in February 2012.

John and Moira’s storyline reached a climax when they decided to spend a night at a hotel, only for their car to skid on ice and crash, tumbling off a ravine. James praised the plot, remarking: “As I learned more, I discovered that the scale of John’s departure was going to be huge, and that the amount of money they were spending was massive. So I was really, really pleased. As an actor, you always want to do something that’s going to grab the audience’s attention.”

James is hitched to Welsh star Joanna Page, best known as Stacey from the BBC smash Gavin and Stacey. They tied the knot in December 2003, four years after co-starring in the BBC adaptation of David Copperfield—he as Ham Peggotty and she as Dora Spenlow.

The couple has expanded their family with four children: Eva, Kit, Noah, and Boe, who arrived in 2021. Taking to Instagram, James shared a snap of Joanna to broadcast her fourth pregnancy, captioning it: “My wonderful wife @iamjoannapage is pregnant and doesn’t she look amazing! ! ! We are having baby number 4! #almostafiveasideteam #nosleep”.

Despite their joy, Joanna has openly spoken about the challenges they faced finding time for each other during lockdown, with the kids at home due to school and nursery closures.

The spark in their relationship took some heavy hits due to a lack of intimacy, leading to frequent clashes. Joanna opened up to The Sun about those tough times: “We spent the whole of the first lockdown arguing and threatening to divorce each other. Then we went through a month of literally not saying a single word to each other.”

James is a voice artist (Image: James Thornton/Instagram)

Thankfully, they’ve navigated past the rough patch and now regularly share glimpses of their harmonious family life, pooches included, online.

In a worrying incident back in February 2010, James was struck by a car in London and had to seek treatment for his injured legs. Emmerdale bigwigs quickly adjusted storylines that involved his character as he recovered.

An inside source from Emmerdale spoke to the Daily Star, sharing the cast’s alarm: “He was having a few days off in London with Jo and they’d been out for dinner when he was hit by the car. Joanna was in a right state and James was in absolute agony.

“He knows he was lucky. We have no idea when he’s going to be back.”

James has since carved out a niche as a voice artist, lending his narration skills to several documentaries watched by UK audiences, like The Curse of Oak Island. His voice has also brought life to Benefits By the Sea: Jaywick (2015–2016) and the Channel 5 series The Motorway, not to mention being the voice behind Talk TV.

Aside from documentaries, he’s become the familiar vocal presence in ad campaigns for prominent brands such as Ford, Amazon, Shell, and BP.

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 at 7.30pm and available to stream from 7am on ITVX