Jenna Kamara is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Krissi Bohn. The character and casting was announced in July 2012 and she made her first appearance on 19 September 2012. Bohn had quit acting and was working in a sexual health clinic when she auditioned for the role of Jenna, and she said that she really enjoyed being on the soap. Jenna was introduced alongside her mother Mandy Kamara (Pamela Nomvete), and it is revealed that Jenna is the daughter of established character Lloyd Mullaney (Craig Charles). The three characters made up the first black family unit in Coronation Street. Jenna is initially shocked upon finding out that Lloyd is her father and despite initially being hostile, she later develops a relationship with him.
Jenna's sexuality was later explored when established character Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent) develops feelings for Jenna, who is her physiotherapist. The pair end up kissing, which leads to Jenna losing her job. Kamara found it interesting that Jenna came out on the soap due to being 28-years-old. Upon coming out to her parents, Lloyd is supportive but Mandy initially is not. Despite the 10-year age gap, Jenna and Sophie develop a relationship, but it does not last. Bohn said that viewers had responded positively to Jenna and Sophie's pairing. In May 2014, it was announced that Bohn's contract was not renewed and she would be leaving Coronation Street. The actress was disappointed by this but was grateful for the experience she had had on the soap. She filmed her final scenes the following month and made her final appearance on 13 August 2014. The character's exit storyline saw Jenna leave to doing volunteering work overseas.
Development
Casting and introduction In July 2012, it was announced that Krissi Bohn had joined the cast of soap opera Coronation Street as new character Jenna Kamara, in addition to Pamela Nomvete joining the soap as Jenna's mother, Mandy Kamara. It was reported that Jenna would be revealed to be the secret daughter of established character Lloyd Mullaney (Craig Charles), with a writer from ITV teasing, "Lloyd's past comes back to haunt him when he bumps into an old flame and discovers a grown-up daughter he never knew he had! A long-dead affair is rekindled and secrets and lies come spilling out as Lloyd, his ex Mandy and their daughter Jenna, struggle to come to terms with the secret Mandy has carried for over 20 years." It was also reported that Jenna and Mandy would move to Weatherfield, the fictional setting of Coronation Street, and that Jenna would begin work as a doctor, though it was also teased that another secret would "rock this fragile new family". Coronation Street producer Phil Collinson said that Jenna and Mandy's introductions would allow the creation of a new family for Lloyd and he called Bohn and Nomvete "terrific actresses". Collinson revealed that Jenna is a "clever, educated young woman" and that she would struggle to accept Lloyd as her biological father. It had previously been reported early that month that the soap was casting two actresses to play Lloyd's daughter and her mother, with it being reported that Lloyd would have a "pretty explosive" reaction upon finding out he has a daughter. It was also reported that the characters would be regulars on the soap.
Charles had previously suggested to the soap before their 50th anniversary that they introduce their first black family and they later came up with this plot. The storyline was set to " get the storyline all together" for the anniversary, but it was postponed as Charles temporarily left the soap to film new episodes for Red Dwarf. Charles enjoyed the storyline, saying, "the actual storyline itself is great. It's Lloyd bumping into an old girlfriend who later went off with his best mate - he never knew that she'd given birth to his child and it's now nearly 30 years later". The actor believed that the storyline was realistic as his friend had recently discovered that he had a teenage daughter who he never knew about. Charles had done the auditions with Nomvete and Bohn and they were chosen on an "executive level", with Charles being happy that they had been cast. He helped the actresses with settling into the soap. Charles believed that Lloyd would be a good father to Jenna as he was already father-like figure to other characters in the soap, but he also revealed that Jenna would initially be wary of Lloyd, explaining, "All of a sudden she realises that her father wasn't the man she knew - Johnny, who has since died. So a lot of Jenna's storyline is about overcoming that, and Lloyd going through a similar process because he never knew she existed. So at first we're in total shock, and Jenna doesn't really take the news very well". Charles added that Lloyd does not want to replace Johnny as he raised Jenna, but instead he wants to get to know her and see where their relationship goes. Charles also revealed that both Jenna and Mandy would be involved in storylines not to do with Lloyd as well, adding that the characters would become "integral" to the soap and affect the other characters.
Discussing her casting, Bohn revealed that she had quit acting about a year prior due to the lack of roles she had received and was working in a sexual health clinic before she was cast in Coronation Street. She then was emailed by her agent about a new role in the soap and so her mother paid for her train fare from Cornwall to Manchester, where the soap is filmed. Bohn joked, "On the Wednesday I was looking at men's private parts and then on Friday I was in the Rovers Return, the most iconic pub in the world". Bohn and her husband ended up renting a flat in Manchester, with the actress saying, "I was happy before, but this is the most exciting thing that has ever happened". Charles said about Bohn getting an acting role on the soap, "She's walking around pinching herself now and she can't believe how much things have changed". In January 2013, it was reported that Bohn had signed on for another six months. That same month, Bohn said that she loved being on the soap, calling it a "nice place to work" and commenting, "Joining the show is the most exciting thing that has happened to me so far in my life. I feel like I've fitted in well". She added that she found it easy to make friends on the soap due to everyone being so welcoming, though she added that everyone films at different times due to having different storylines. Talking about her casting process, Bohn revealed, "I think my audition story was a little bit faster than a lot of people's. I had my first audition on a Tuesday, the screen test on the Friday and I started the Friday after. At the screen test, I did scenes with Craig and Pamela, and then one with Georgia May Foote who plays Katy Armstrong. Georgia was standing in for the role of Sophie as Brooke was on holiday!" Bohn also tweeted that she loved being Lloyd's daughter.
Bohn made her first appearance as Jenna on 19 September 2012. In the episode, Lloyd goes to Mandy's house as he wants to keep his former romantic partner in his life; however, Jenna answers the door instead and tells Lloyd that she is Mandy's daughter, which makes him suspicious as Mandy had told him that she lived alone. A "Shellshocked" Lloyd then wonders if Mandy is his daughter and he realises why Mandy felt uneasy when he saw her again after all those years. Lloyd also believes that Jenna looks a lot like his mother and his cousin, Grace. After a confrontation, Jenna then finds out that Lloyd is her biological father as Mandy had an affair with him in the 1980s. Bohn related to the storyline as she did not know her biological father, having been raised in an orphanage and later adopted. Charles explained that Lloyd finding out about Jenna's existence is "bittersweet" as he is sad to have missed out being her father but he is also excited. He added that Lloyd wants to get to know Jenna as she is his daughter, but he makes mistakes by "steamrolling in".
Romance with Sophie
In October 2012, it was reported that Jenna would start a romance with established character Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent). After Sophie is involved in a road accident, physiotherapist Jenna nurses Sophie over several months and the pair become closer, with Sophie developing feelings towards Jenna. An insider revealed that Jenna would be breaking "moral code" by being with Sophie, explaining, "Sophie is in a very vulnerable position following the car accident. If Jenna's bosses find out they could end her career. If that wasn't enough, Jenna hasn't come out to her parents. So they may have all these feelings for each other but they are going to have to weigh up whether it's worth the chaos". Furthermore, the couple also have a ten-year age gap and think that it will be difficult for their parents to accept. The situation was also reported to become further complicated when Sophie's father Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) develops feelings for Jenna. Vincent had previously revealed that Sophie would have a new love interest but did not specify about whether it would be a new or established character. Charles revealed on This Morning that Lloyd would be shocked at Jenna's new romance but would ultimately support her, saying, "I think Lloyd's a cool cat, really. I think he just wants her to be happy. But there's going to be a lot of tensions".
In the storyline, Sophie develops big feelings towards Jenna; talking to Radio Times about Sophie's feelings for Jenna, Vincent explained that since Sophie's accident, Jenna has "made the ride a lot easier" and distracted Sophie from what has been happening, and that Sophie never "dreamt it could happen" but the time went much quicker because she developed feelings towards Jenna. Vincent explained, "It's been gradually growing during the time she has been seeing Jenna. Jenna has seemed very interested in Sophie – she's probably just been being polite and professional, but Sophie has wanted to read much more into it and has made a point of telling Jenna she is a lesbian. She is trying to suss out how Jenna feels" Vincent revealed that Sophie is constantly trying to be nice to Jenna and "push it onto the next level" by getting her a costly present for Christmas and buying her drinks in the pub, which leads to an uncomfortable Jenna telling Sophie that she is crossing the line. However, after Jenna gives Sophie a ride home and she reads a lot into what the physiotherapist does, which leads to Sophie believing that it is time to be honest about her feelings.