Aidan Turner dunked Eleanor Tomlinson in the sea after a boat slammed into his head while he was filming ‘Poldark’.
The 33-year-old actor – who plays titular character Ross Poldark – was involved in the terrifying accident while shooting scenes for the show’s second series in Cornwall, south west England, and joked he couldn’t believe everyone was rushing to see if his flame-haired co-star (Demelza Poldark) was OK rather than him.
He said: "There’s nothing like the Cornish sea at the height of winter for putting you in your place.
"We were filming me lifting Demelza out of a boat in the actual sea when this huge wave picked up the boat and slammed it into my head.
"I dropped her in the water – not very Ross Poldark. And nobody was coming to see if I’m OK.
"I was the main injured … but one of the underwater cameramen got cracked as well and he was concussed.
"These waves, you wouldn’t think there’s anything to them, but once you get out there you’re at the mercy of Mother Nature and she doesn’t care how well the previous season rated."
The hunk admitted the conditions were so intense he and Eleanor couldn’t always film together, and recalled one scene where he had to act romantically to his assistant director instead of the 24-year-old beauty.
He added to Radio Times magazine: "For two days in January we were in and out of the water doing this scene.
"Eleanor was in the water for a long time and she was shivering like crazy. They were shooting a two-shot here and they got her just before her teeth started to chatter.
"So she went back to the trailer to get warm and I was acting with the assistant director – and it’s as emotional as scenes get, bar the kissing.
"So in my close-up I’m talking to the assistant director, not my beloved Demelza."
Aidan Turner recalls Poldark accident
