A BOLTON actor was ‘miraculously’ rescued after falling down a waterfall and surviving for three days alone in the Thai jungle.

Paul Nicholls, who grew up in Smithills, is best known for playing Joe Wicks in Eastenders and is currently recovering in hospital in Thailand after the ordeal.

Thai TV station BrightTV, is reporting that he fell down the Khun Si waterfall on the island of Koh Samui before surviving in the rainforest for three days.  He was then rescued by volunteers as he ‘miraculously’ survived the ordeal.

Mr Nicholls is referred to in Thai media as Gerrard Paul Green, his real name.

The 38-year-old was found after the black Honda motorcycle he had rented was found near a village, at the bottom of a path leading to the waterfall.

A search was launched and volunteers headed to the bottom of the waterfall, a journey that took ‘many hours’ and found Mr Nicholls sleeping in a stream.

He had suffered a fracture to his right leg and had not eaten for three days, surviving by just drinking water.

The report states that the path out of the area had a ‘difficult slope’ for transporting injured people so it took two hours to get Mr Nicholls out of the area.

The search was launched for Mr Nicholls as it was believed he had fallen and was injured.

Chaiphorn Supprasert, the head of the volunteer team, was informed by villagers of where the Ackley Bridge actor was located and said that Mr Nicholls could not move because of the injuries he suffered in the fall. 

He added that it is a small waterfall without many visitors or a caretaker so nobody saw what happened but fortunately a local came across the motorcycle and the search was launched.

Mr Nicholls is now recovering in International Koh Samui Hospital and is described as ‘very fatigued’ and that his wounds have become infected.

A spokesman for Independent Talent, the agency that represents Mr Nicholls, said they have spoken to him and he is 'fine', adding that it was a 'bit of a shock' for the actor.

Mr Nicholls is quoted by The Sun newspaper as saying: “I am lucky to be alive.

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

“It took such a long time to find me. It’s an understatement to say it wasn’t a great situation. It wasn’t that I was lost.

“The problem was I couldn’t move to get out of there.

“I’ve got a broken leg and I’m missing a kneecap. It needs complete reconstruction.”

As well as his roles in Ackley Bridge and Eastenders, Mr Nicholls has appeared in Law and Order UK on television and also has a movie credit for Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. 
He attended Smithills School from 1990 until 1995 and took part in school productions aged just 11. 

A Foreign Office spokesman said : "We are providing support to a British male injured in Koh Samui, Thailand and remain in touch with local authorities.”