Ex-EastEnders and Bridget Jones actor found semi-conscious after fall at Khun Si left him stuck in a rock pool with a damaged leg

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A British actor who worked on EastEnders and Channel 4 drama Ackley Bridge has been rescued three days after falling from the top of a jungle waterfall and smashing his leg on the Thai island of Koh Samui.

Paul Nicholls, 38, was found in agony at the base of Khun Si falls after a local spotted his abandoned rental motorbike, which police traced to his real name – Gerrard Paul Greenhalgh – prompting a search.

He was found partially submerged in a rock pool, semi-conscious and with hypothermia, unable to move to safety or find food.

“I am lucky to be alive,” Nicholls said, according to the Sun. “It took such a long time to find me. It’s an understatement to say it wasn’t a great situation … The problem was I couldn’t move to get out of there.

“I had a phone with me but I fell from such a height into the water it was unretrievable.”



Nicholls said his kneecap was destroyed in the fall and would need a complete reconstruction.

It took two hours for emergency services to get him to International Koh Samui hospital, the Sun reported, adding that Nicholls’ medical bills will run into tens of thousands of pounds.

Last month American tourist Geoffrey Maui, 28, died after falling at the same waterfall.

Nicholls debuted in EastEnders in 1996 as Joe Wicks. He quit the soap a year later and has since worked on City Central, Holby City, Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Law & Order. He also acted in the 2004 film, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.