Emmerdale actor James Thornton, known for playing John Barton, is married to Welsh actress Joanna Page, famed for her role in Gavin and Stacey. The couple, who wed in December 2003 on the Gower Peninsula in Wales, have four children together: Eva, Kit, Noah, and their youngest, Boe, born in 2021.
Marriage and family life
The nuptials came four years after their joint appearance in the two-part BBC drama David Copperfield, in which he portrayed Ham Peggotty and she played Dora Spenlow. Speaking to The Mirror, Joanna spoke about what keeps their marriage strong, saying: "He makes me laugh and I love his personality. We have the same views and ideas of how we want to live our lives."
She added: "We love being together all the time. But you don't get through 25 years without ups and downs. Of course, we bicker and have arguments and go to bed not speaking, but we always wake up in the morning and never carry the argument on." The couple, now living in Henley, Oxfordshire, host the podcast Lush! with Joanna Page, offering a real-life look into their family life with four children and pets.
John Barton's Emmerdale storyline
Thornton made his Emmerdale debut as John Barton in 2009, alongside his on-screen wife Moira (Natalie J Robb), as they took ownership of Butlers Farm. The farmer took over the agricultural enterprise from the Sugden family, establishing a new dynasty on the ITV soap and igniting a rivalry between the two clans.
John and Moira were childhood sweethearts and parents to Matty and Holly Barton, while John also served as adoptive father to Adam Barton, whose biological father was James Barton. Despite initially presenting as an ideal family, fractures emerged in John and Moira's marriage after John's kiss with Eve Jenson (Suzanne Shaw) and Moira's affair with Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley).
After reuniting in February 2012, their joy was short-lived when their vehicle crashed after skidding on ice, falling from a ravine. John perished in the incident, leaving Moira devastated. Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX.
