EMMERDALE actor Michael Parr is set to leave the ITV show and jet off to the US, saying he is “ready for new things”.

The 31-year-old, who grew up on Hard Lane, has played Ross Barton on the show for five years but is now set to give up his role to take on new roles in America.

Though he doesn’t yet have roles lined up in the US, Michael is heading to Los Angeles to follow his acting dreams.

He said: “My mum’s family are from Brooklyn and I have two passports, so I thought now is the right time to give it a go.

“I will be heading to LA but I’ll be spending time between there and New York.

“I did a show called All Stars Musicals (in which TV personalities performed to a live audience at the Palladium Theatre in London’s West End) and it gave me the hunger to go away and try different things.

“The nature of the beast is that I don’t know what’s coming, but I’m excited to see what could happen.

“I would like to do more character acting like Gary Oldman who completely transforms into the people he is cast as.”

Michael recently played a dramatic storyline in the soap where his character suffered from an acid attack. Emmerdale writers will not yet reveal how Ross will exit the show but stated that he will be leaving at the end of his current contract, which still has a few months to run.

Michael added: “I almost didn’t take on the acid attack story line as I was ready to go last year, but I told the writers that I’d stay for a story they had never done before.

“When they came up with the acid attack I felt it was a challenge.

“I love working at Emmerdale but I’m just ready to go.

“I went to drama school and have spent five years in Emmerdale, so I would like to take on new things.

“Playing Ross Barton has been great. The character has really grown from the Ross I played at the start.

“I hope he gets a good exit and doesn’t just off in the back of a taxi .

“It’s a little way off yet but I hope Ross gets a happy ending, he’s been through a lot.

“I will be sad to see Ross go as you get attached to the characters yourself but I’m ready for new things.”

Michael, who also used to work in special needs schools in London, has recently been supporting Lansbury Bridge School in Parr with a campaign to raise funds to provide pupils with a sensory playground.