Jenna Coleman Height, Weight and Body Measurements

Jenna Coleman is widely reported at about 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) as of 2026, with a petite, slim frame. She has not shared a weight publicly, so this guide covers her height, general look and the roles that made her a household name in Britain.

Quick facts

Build and style

Coleman’s small frame is part of why she was cast so convincingly as Queen Victoria, who was famously short. Off screen she favours understated, modern fashion and is often seen on red carpets in clean, tailored looks. She is often praised for a natural, un-fussy approach to red carpets.

From Blackpool to the soaps

She grew up in Blackpool, and she was acting from her teens before landing a role on the ITV soap Emmerdale in 2005, playing Jasmine Thomas. That job gave her a national profile as a teenager and several years of steady television experience.

Doctor Who

In 2012 Coleman joined the BBC’s Doctor Who as Clara Oswald, the companion to Matt Smith’s and then Peter Capaldi’s Doctor. She stayed until 2015, a stretch that made her one of the show’s most prominent modern companions. Her chemistry with both leads is often mentioned by fans.

Victoria

In 2016 she took the title role in ITV’s Victoria, a period drama following the young queen’s reign and her marriage to Prince Albert, played by Tom Hughes. The series ran for three seasons and gave Coleman the biggest leading part of her career so far. It also showed that she could carry a costume drama on her own.

Later work

Since then she has starred in the BBC thriller The Cry, appeared in The Serpent for Netflix and the BBC, and led the BBC crime drama The Jetty. She also joined The Sandman on Netflix, playing Johanna Constantine, and she has returned to the stage in London.

Personal life

Coleman keeps her private life largely out of the press and rarely gives interviews about it. She remains based in the UK and continues to split her time between series, film and theatre.

Playing the young queen

Victoria came to the throne as a teenager, and she is remembered as a small woman who commanded enormous authority. Coleman has spoken about how the costumes, with their layers and corsetry, shaped the way she moved and carried herself. The physical side of a period role is often overlooked, but it is a big part of why the portrayal worked so well with audiences and critics alike.

The show also gave Coleman a chance to age the character across the seasons, from a young monarch finding her feet to a woman balancing public duty and family. It remains the signature lead of her career so far.

Emmerdale and the teenage years

Emmerdale is one of Britain’s long-running soaps, and for a young actress it was a crash course in television. Soap schedules are punishing: several episodes a week, with scripts arriving in bulk and little time for rehearsal. Coleman has described it as a good training ground, and she stayed through 2009 before moving on to period drama and then Doctor Who. In Death Comes to Pemberley (2013), the BBC adaptation of P. D. James’s Pride and Prejudice sequel, she played Lydia Wickham, which added a costume drama credit before Victoria.

Clara Oswald

Clara first appeared in Doctor Who in the 2012 episode Asylum of the Daleks, and then returned as a different version of the character at Christmas. The mystery of her identity became a central storyline for Matt Smith’s final episodes and Peter Capaldi’s first. It was a high-profile role in a series with a worldwide fan base, which opened doors in both the UK and the United States.

What fans ask

Is she the same height as the real Queen Victoria? Victoria was famously short, around five feet, so Coleman’s slight build was an advantage. Costume, posture and camera work did the rest.

What is she doing now? She has kept to a mix of television and stage work, including Wilderness (2023) for Prime Video, a thriller about a marriage under strain.

How old is she? She turned 40 in April 2026.

Frequently asked questions