John Barton was much loved on Emmerdale, until his untimely death following a devastating car crash with his wife Moira, where their car slipped on ice and fell into a ravine
James Thornton caught the eye of many Emmerdale fans when he made his debut as John Barton back in 2009.
After his character’s marriage to Moira struggled following several moments of infidelity on both of their parts, the couple wanted to make it work. However, it was never meant to be as the end for John became one of the show’s most dramatic moments.
Away from the soap, he has enjoyed a long and happy marriage to his wife Joanne Page, who many will recognise as Stacey from Gavin & Stacey.
Brother’s tragic death
James was born on 31 October 1975, making him 48 years old. He is originally from Bradford in West Yorkshire, England and his real name is James Russell.
He sadly lost his brother, Jonathan Russell, in 2005. His sibling was just 33 years old when he passed from cancer of the spine.
Jonathan was a physiotherapist and helped out at the Bury Cancer Support Centre. James wanted to fundraise for the centre and spoke about how important it was to him. In 2010, he told The Bury Time: “The centre gave massive support to my brother. It wasn’t about him finding a cure, it was about giving him support to cope with everything.
“It is an absolutely incredible place.”
Secret Emmerdale role
James might be best known for portraying John Barton in Emmerdale, but it wasn’t his first appearance on the soap. He played a young man working at the Hotten Cattle Market in January 1995 before landing the bigger role.
Recalling his audition for John, he called it the “most frightening audition” he had ever done. He joined the show alongside his fictional wife Moira, played by Natalie J. Robb and his children Adam, Holly and Hannah, played by Adam Thomas, Sophie Powles and Grace Cassidy respectively.
James made his small screen debut as John on 17 July 2009 and he remained on Emmerdale for nearly three years before his departure was aired on 16 February 2012.
In one of the soap’s most dramatic moments, John and Moira were headed away for a romantic weekend as they tried to heal their marriage. However, due to the poor weather conditions, their car hit a patch of ice and veered into a ravine. His character died due to his injuries.
James explained that it was the longest role he ever played and it felt like the right time to make his departure.
Marriage to famous actress
James is married to popular actress and star of Gavin and Stacey, Joanna Page.
The couple worked together on the 1999 BBC adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield four years before they tied the knot. He played Ham Peggotty, while she portrayed Dora Spenlow.
However, they didn’t get into a relationship until friends reintroduced them a year later.
They got married in December 2003 and later welcomed four children together. They share daughter Eva, 10, son Kit, eight, son Noah, seven, and daughter Willow, who was born in December 2021.
Joanna has shared that she and James desired to have a large family, telling Wales Online: “James is one of four so to him, four children is the norm. For me, one is the norm but I can see how people get addicted to having babies.
She added: “I would like to keep going and try to pop out as many as possible – I only wish I’d started having them younger.”
Divorce fears
Joanna admitted that she and James struggled during the pandemic as they were at home with their children, who weren’t able to go to school. The actress explained that they found it very difficult to find time to be alone together.
“We spent the whole of the first lockdown arguing and threatening to divorce each other,” she told The Sun.
“Then we went through a month of literally not saying a single word to each other.”
Thankfully, the couple were able to work through it together and eventually managed to work out some romantic moments.
Scary car crash
It wasn’t just his character on Emmerdale that faced a frightening car crash. James was badly injured after being hit by a car in central London on 13 February 2010.
He was rushed to hospital and suffered a fractured knee and other leg injuries, which left him in plaster for six weeks.
A source told Daily Star at the time: “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.”
- “10 Major Emmerdale Spoilers for Next Week”
- “ITV Emmerdale Fans Left Distracted by Tom King Scene Following Belle Dingle Twist”
- “Emmerdale Uncovers the Real Culprit Behind the Sheep Escape – and It Wasn’t Moira”
- “Paramedic Rushes to the Scene as Major Emmerdale Character Suffers Serious Injury”
- “Emmerdale’s Tom King ‘Recast’ Following Belle’s Shocking Murder Plot – With a Familiar Actor”
- Emmerdale Set to Reveal Billy Fletcher’s Dangerous New Secret
