Britain's Got Talent star Jonathan Goodwin 'nearly died' in stunt which paralysed him
'I fell head first to the ground', Jonathan Goodwin tells Lorraine Kelly
An escapologist who appeared on Britain's Got Talent has described the moment he became paralysed in a stunt which went wrong on the set of America's Got Talent: Extreme.
Jonathan Goodwin, from Pembrokeshire, told ITV's Lorraine Kelly he only avoided death because he didn't hit his head when he fell 30ft between two burning cars, missing a safety airbag below.
The 42-year-old stuntman appeared on the show with his fiancée, actress Amanda Abbington, on Friday (May 6).
He told Lorraine: “I’m not down about it. I’m doing as well as I can be. It was pretty gnarly. It sounds very dramatic sitting here but I nearly died… I saved my life because I fell upside down, head first to the ground but I didn’t hit my head.”
Goodwin spent four months in hospital as a result of the accident, having suffered a catalogue of injuries including a severed spinal cord, third-degree burns, broken shoulder blades and shattered legs.
He described the emotional moment he told wife Amanda about the horrific accident, telling her that she could end the relationship.
“I did say, you have a get out of jail free card", he said.
"If you want to walk away, then I completely understand and she told me not to be so stupid and that was that.”
Visibly emotional, Abbington - who has appeared in BBC's Sherlock - said: “We are closer and tighter than ever - every day is a joy.
"Life’s too short - that’s what I’ve realised through all of this. Just be in the moment.”
She added: “He’s a total inspiration to me. He’s an idiot - but I’m a wally so it’s fine.”
The couple also talked about their upcoming wedding later this year, and how they decided to get engaged “within half an hour” of first meeting.
Goodwin now uses a wheelchair, and in a recent Instagram post wrote: "A lot has changed in the last 6 months, but love is a constant and I'm very very loved."
As well as featuring on Simon Cowell's talent shows, Goodwin has also featured on the Discovery Channel's One Way Out and How Not to Become Shark Bait as well as Channel 4's Balls of Steel and the Jonathan Ross Show.
In 2012 he was given his own stunt series 'The Incredible Mr Goodwin' on UKTV's Watch channel where his stunts included wearing a straitjacket and dangling from a blazing rope over the River Thames in London.