The last two years have been a real baptism of fire, says Jenna Coleman
ACTRESS Jenna Coleman has opened up about learning to “roll with the punches” and embracing change after two years of emotional turmoil.
The Sun on Sunday revealed in July 2020 that she had split from actor boyfriend Tom Hughes, who she had dated for four years after they fell in love on the set of 2016 ITV drama series Victoria.
But Jenna, who was said to have been “terribly sad” after the break-up, told how she is now moving forward after a “baptism of fire”. Asked what the past two years have taught her, she said: “To roll with the punches.
“We’ve all learnt how unpredictable life can be — there’s no point getting too stressed out about it.
“You have to know how to adapt. The last two years have been a real baptism of fire in that respect. You can’t hold on. Be prepared to embrace the change.”
Jenna, 35, who was linked to Prince Harry before he dated wife Meghan, met Tom in 2013 on the set of BBC drama Dancing On The Edge. At the time she was seeing Bodyguard hunk Richard Madden, while Tom was going out with Guardians Of The Galaxy actress Ophelia Lovibond.
They began dating three years later after being cast as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the historical drama. But after four years together they called time on the relationship, and Jenna was seen moving boxes out of Tom’s London townhouse.
Now Jenna has decided that because she feels she is prone to spreading herself too thin at times, her main resolution for 2022 is to focus on what is important.
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‘I love icing my face in the morning’
In an interview with Sheerluxe, Jenna said: “I’m a bit of a bag lady, dragging round lots of things all at once and overbooking my diary. I’m one of those people who jams everything in and loses things all the time. I read this phenomenal book recently, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret To A Long And Happy Life.
“The message is that it’s not actually that healthy or good for you to multi-task. You’re better off focusing on one thing at a time. I’m going to try to embrace that philosophy a bit more this year.”
She went on: “How do I deal with stress? Honestly, this is so simple — and free — but I have recently started taking hot-cold showers in the morning.
“You take your normal shower, then blast yourself with cold water at the end. It makes you feel so fresh and healthy. It gives me such a clear head to be able to tackle the day. It’s very easy to feel lethargic and down at this time of year, but this is a great remedy — trust me.”
Jenna is also a big fan of ice globes — gel-filled glass or metal wands that are chilled in the fridge or freezer, then applied to the face. The process, known as “facial cryotherapy”, is one of the latest skincare trends and is championed by celebrities including Kate Moss and Irina Shayk.
Jenna said: “I love icing my face in the morning. Those ice globes that are everywhere now are so good.” She added that her secret fitness weapon for 2022 is online workout The Class with Taryn Toomey.
You’re better off focusing on one thing at a time. I’m going to try to embrace that philosophy a bit more this year.
Jenna Coleman
She said: “I got into The Class during the pandemic and I love it. It’s a combination of meditation, cardio and body conditioning. You feel amazing afterwards.
“And it is one of the only workouts that I think makes such an effort to combine mental and physical health into one.”
Jenna, who first found fame as Jasmine Thomas in Emmerdale in the 2000s, later won millions of fans as Doctor Who’s monster-battling assistant Clara Oswald from 2012 to 2017. Jenna has seen her career go from strength to strength ever since.
Recently she impressed in the role of murderer’s girlfriend Marie-Andree Leclerc in sinister 2021 BBC/Netflix thriller The Serpent. She is also starring in two upcoming films, a Netflix production of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, and British comedy Klokkenluider — Flemish for whistle-blower — both of which are due out early next year.
Jenna has also been cast as Joan Bright, the woman who ran Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s secret Second World War bunker, in BBC series The War Rooms, which is expected to hit our TV screens later this year.
Her character is understood to have been the inspiration for James Bond’s Miss Moneypenny. In a separate interview to promote the drama, Jenna said: “Joan was never going to live a conventional life — she was a young woman who lived her war days under the Official Secrets Act, undercover and underground in war rooms.
‘Days and nights lived within this small space’
This story is so compelling, not only because of her unique and liberal mind, wryness of spirit and curiosity to live, but because of the opportunity to examine this endlessly fascinating period of time through an intimate and human lens.
“The closeness and proximity of days and nights lived within this small space, the carriers of truth amidst the oblivion of propaganda above. The beauty and fragility of human connection when living through a time when no one knows what tomorrow will bring.
“It feels so shockingly relevant right now.” Her own screen projects aside, Jenna went on to reveal what she is looking forward to watching over the next 12 months.
She said: “I’ve yet to watch the last episode of Succession, so I’m excited about that. And Landscapers with Olivia Colman and David Thewlis.
"I’ve heard it’s brilliant. A Very British Scandal has been on and I can’t recommend Belfast enough. It was such a beautiful film.
“Oh, and Spencer — I haven’t managed to see that yet — and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch.
The beauty and fragility of human connection when living through a time when no one knows what tomorrow will bring.
Jenna Coleman
"I really want to catch up on what I have missed at the National Theatre, too.
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“They’ve put a load more of its plays on its streaming service, NT Live, including Antony & Cleopatra with Ralph Fiennes.
"And if we can go to the theatre, I’m desperate to see Cabaret with Jessie Buckley and Eddie Redmayne.”
