John Middleton stopped watching Emmerdale

John Middleton no longer watches \'Emmerdale\'.

The 65-year-old actor departed his role as Rev. Ashley Thomas in April 2017 after over 20 years in the soap and he admitted he made a "conscious decision" to "slam the door" on the show in order to fully step away from the show.

Asked if he still tunes in, he said: "It\'s one of those things, as I left, I thought I\'m gonna slam the door on this, but I made the conscious decision to stop watching it.

"I really have to put it behind me.

"I\'m looking forward to projects which are really different."

One project John would love to get involved in is the next series of \'Line of Duty\' as he\'s a big fan of the crime drama.

He told Express.co.uk: "I would love to be on it."

But while he has closed the door on \'Emmerdale\', the actor admitted he misses working with his castmates, in particular Charlotte Bellamy, who portrayed his screen wife Laurel.

He said: "I miss working with my close friends, particularly Charlotte and the family and everything and the whole association with \'Emmerdale\'.

"It\'s like one big family, but at the same time, the only thing you know in a show like that is you know you\'re gonna go."

John departed the Dales when his character lost his battle with dementia following a long-running storyline and he now works closely with the Alzheimer\'s Society, who are encouraging the public to help those suffering from the disease to feel included in society.

He said of the initiative: "It\'s a national conversation we have to have.

"We can\'t avoid the fact action has to be taken and something must be done."