Jenna Coleman reveals it's taken 'a long time' to find confidence after years battling her inner demons in her early career
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TV royalty Jenna Coleman has spent years battling her inner demons in order to find confidence in herself, despite her glittering career.
The actress, 38, admitted she was an 'anxious wreck' when she was starting to gain spotlight on Emmerdale, Waterloo Road and Doctor Who.
Jenna, who is pregnant with her first child, marvelled over the younger actors' confidence on set of her new series The Jetty.
The Victoria star couldn't believe the calm and self-assured attitude in the younger generation and compared it to how she was in her early career.
Jenna told The Sun: 'I see the young girls in The Jetty — they come in and they’re so relaxed, they’re really present, they know their own voice.
TV royalty Jenna Coleman has spent years battling her inner demons in order to find confidence in herself, despite her glittering career
Jenna, who is pregnant with her first child, marvelled over the younger actors' confidence on set of her new series The Jetty (pictured in 2023)
'I was an anxious wreck at their age, thinking everyone’s opinions were obviously so much better than mine.
'I would have found it a lot harder to bring my voice to set in my twenties. It’s wrestling with being comfortable, advocating for yourself without conflict. That’s taken my generation a long time to get to.'
Jenna's preparing to welcome her first child with director boyfriend Jamie Childs, 35.
She made her pregnancy announcement last month, at a dinner to celebrate the opening of the new exhibition 'Imaginary Conversations: An ERDEM Collection Inspired by Duchess Deborah', at Chatsworth House.
Looking gorgeous in a green floral dress, Jenna cradled her bump as she posed for photos at the historic venue.
The happy news comes six months after she left fans speculating she had tied the knot with Jamie after being spotted with a chunky gold band on her wedding finger.
Jenna and Jamie met on the set of Netflix series The Sandman in 2020 and have since worked together again on Jamie's first film Jackdaw.
In January, Jenna first sparked speculation that she and Jamie had taken their relationship to the next level after being seen wearing a ring on her wedding finger while on a stroll with the director in north London.
The actress admitted she was an 'anxious wreck' when she was starting to gain spotlight on Emmerdale, Waterloo Road and Doctor Who (Pictured on Waterloo Road in 2009)
The Victoria star couldn't believe the calm and self-assured attitude in the younger generation and compared it to how she was in her early career (pictured this week)
Jenna said: 'I see the young girls in The Jetty — they come in and they’re so relaxed, they’re really present, they know their own voice. 'I was an anxious wreck at their age, thinking everyone’s opinions were obviously so much better than mine'
She added: 'I would have found it a lot harder to bring my voice to set in my twenties. It’s wrestling with being comfortable, advocating for yourself without conflict. That’s taken my generation a long time to get to' (pictured on Emmerdale in 2005)
The couple looked loved-up as they walked hand-in-hand, with Jamie tenderly stroking her hair at several points.
While it didn't mark the first time she'd been seen wearing the ring, she usually wore it on a different finger – leading to speculation that the move was significant.
The actress previously dated Tom Hughes, who played her husband Prince Albert in ITV's Victoria.
They met in 2013 on the set of BBC drama series Dancing On The Edge, but went their separate ways in 2020.
At the time it was reported that the pair were 'terribly sad' by the end of their relationship, with the actress moving into her own pad and they reportedly attempted to 'salvage a friendship.'
Pictures obtained by The Sun reportedly show Tom assisting Jenna to move into a new pad, which is said to be miles away from the home they previously shared.
An insider told the publication that the pair have since met up in an attempt to keep things 'as friendly and civil as possible.'
The source said: 'They are trying to salvage a friendship but obviously these are trying times, and it's not easy.
Jenna's preparing to welcome her first child with director boyfriend Jamie Childs, 35 (pictured together last year)
Before Jamie, Jenna was in a relationship with Bodyguard and Game Of Thrones star Richard Madden (pictured in 2015)
'Both Tom and Jenna are terribly sad, but the relationship ran its course. There was no third party involved.
'Jenna's career is going from strength to strength, she's being offered increasingly more roles abroad, especially Los Angeles, and she wants to focus on this while she's still young.'
Their romance was a case of life imitating art for the pair who began dating in 2016 after they met on set.
Jenna and Tom's romance almost never happened, as the actress revealed she turned down the role of the iconic monarch Victoria twice, before finally accepting the part.
The series' third season hit screens back in 2019, but since then ITV haven't announced any plans for a fourth.
Speaking to Radio Times, Jenna said of the near-miss: 'I had just finished doing nearly four years on Doctor Who and I didn't want to do another long TV project.
'I wanted to do lots of different things, but now I'm doing Victoria, I find her quite addictive.'
Before Tom, Jenna was in a relationship with Bodyguard and Game Of Thrones star Richard Madden.
The pair dated on and off for four years after getting together in 2012.