Doctor Who and The Jetty star Jenna Coleman has been a staple on our screens for more than a decade. While she keeps most details about her personal life private, she has been in a relationship with director Jamie Childs since 2020 after meeting on the set of The Sandman, and last month they announced they were expecting their first child together.
We say announced, but Jenna Coleman had little choice in the matter as her bump was difficult to hide at the BBC's premiere of The Jetty in June. She posed for pictures in a pink and white Chanel dress and posted the photos on Instagram, with many of her famous friends rushing to offer their congratulations in the comment section.
Fashion brand Shrimps wrote, 'so exciting, huge congratulations' and Billie Piper commented, 'congratulations darling'.
She first revealed her bump at a dinner to celebrate the opening of an exhibition at Chatsworth House in June. In July, Jenna and Jamie were spotted at Wimbledon – with fans noticing her pregnancy there too.
Jenna, 38, met Jamie, 35, on the set of the Netflix series The Sandman, in which Jenna played Johanna Constantine and Jamie directed. Jenna also starred in Jamie’s debut feature film, Jackdaw, which was released in January 2023.
While the pair usually keep quiet about their relationship, Jamie previously mentioned Jenna when discussing the transition from TV to film.
Speaking to Screen Rant, he said, ‘I was in between two TV jobs at the time, sort of unemployed, and thought I can’t really sit around just watching movies for another month. I thought I should probably sit down and write one.'
He added, ‘Also, my partner basically stopped talking to me on a holiday. She was rehearsing for something she was doing next, and basically, I realised that she just needed to get her head into it. So, I put my headphones on and began writing, and that’s when it all started.’
As for their decision to start a family, the actress previously told Harper’s Bazaar that she was in no rush. She said, ‘Half of my friends have babies, and half don’t, so it doesn’t feel like a pressure. I want to take my time. There’s a whole lot more of the world for me to see first.’
After playing Queen Victoria, who had nine children, she added: ‘I’d love to have children one day. But not nine of them. I can tell you that as a fact.’ Jenna dated her Queen Victoria co-star Tom Hughes, who played her on-screen husband Albert, for four years but reports suggest they decided to part ways in 2020.
She also dated Richard Madden from April 2011 to 2015 and, before him, dated her Emmerdale co-star Karl Davies from 2006 to 2009.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, covering TV, celebrity interviews, news and features.