Stephen Graham says Leonardo DiCaprio labelled him an 'animal' after he almost broke his leg

Back when This is England actor Stephen Graham was shooting Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York in 2001, he became close pals with Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio. But their friendship almost ended in disaster when the former nearly injured the latter.

Appearing on an upcoming episode of The Jonathan Ross Show, the Liverpudlian performer looked back on when the co-stars got into an accident just two days before production began – and how DiCaprio called by “the nickname ‘Animal’ from that moment on.”

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“We became really good mates,” he told the titular host, as he stifled back the laughs. “He’s driving around in this golf cart and I’ve asked him if I can have a go.

“I’m driving this golf cart straight down the hill and we’ve come to a corner, and I’ve looked at DiCaprio and, as I’ve turned the corner, I’ve hit a brick and the golf cart started to tip.”

Graham, 45, continued: “It’s gone in slow motion and, as it’s gone, his leg’s underneath. It looked like it was going to land on his foot. And then he just pulled it in and it hit the floor.

“We got up and he said: ‘You could have broken my leg’. I was going, ‘I’m so sorry.'”

Fortunately, the Oscar winner forgave his new buddy almost immediately notes Graham, as he remembers how DiCaprio met his worried apologies with a calm-and-collected, “I love you, man.”

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While he’s currently known as John Corbett in popular police drama Line of Duty, Graham has appeared in several high-profile movies including Snatch, opposite Brad Pitt and two instalments in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Graham is just one of the guest’s sitting on Wossy’s sofa on Saturday 4 May. Other stars featured in the episode include This Morning host Rochelle Humes, singer Ellie Goulding and comedians Romesh Ranganathan and Alan Carr.