Hooton 'likes to hide behind character'

Emmerdale star James Hooton has admitted that he enjoys hiding behind his character.

The actor, who plays Sam Dingle in the ITV1 soap, revealed that people often don't realise who he is because he is so different from his on-screen character.

Speaking at the launch of spinoff DVD The Dingles: For Richer, For Poorer, he told Holy Soap: "I like to hide behind the character. I like roles that are a bit further away from how I might be perceived in real life. It's nice to immerse yourself in a different character.

"I tend not to get recognised a lot. I don't get it anything like Jane [Cox, who plays Lisa] and Steve [Halliwell, who plays Zak].

"Steve can't tie his shoelaces in the street without people noticing. It's the beard. But I tend to get away with it."