Some actors enjoy the trappings of celebrity – a lavish lifestyle with nice holidays, fancy cars and the best seat in any restaurant in town.
But while Coronation Street newcomer Jamie Kenna is loving life on the cobbles, he is determined to put his recent fame so far better use by helping people with mental health struggles.
The actor, who plays Fiz Stape’s rejected husband Phill Whittaker, suffered a breakdown eight years ago and hopes speaking about his ordeal will encourage others to open up too.
Jamie says: “I want to use my platform to help people.
“I’m a big, working-class guy who looks like he should be on a building site but I’m not afraid to turn round and say if I’m scared or worried.”
A keen open water swimmer, his problems began in 2011 after he got into difficulties while in a rough sea.
He recalls: “I’d swum the Channel only three months before and spent five-and-a-half hours swimming Windermere but I pushed my luck.
“It was December, I was out in the Channel and the sea was too big and freezing cold and I went too far out.
“I had my first panic attack but I happened to have it in the middle of the ocean. I was about 200m out and it was a very exposing moment.”
Jamie, 46, swallowed a lot of water and feared he would not make it but he managed to swim back to shore.
He says: “I thought that I was invincible but when I got myself into trouble it opened a can of worms.
“I suddenly became aware of my own mortality and that triggered a lot of anxiety, panic attacks and depression.”
Initially, Jamie tried to hide what he was going through but in 2014, while appearing in the play War Horse in London, he suffered a breakdown.
He recalls: “I was completely melting down and knew something was wrong.
“I was going to the doctor – I thought it was my heart or brain.”
Jamie had various therapies and still occasionally suffers from anxiety but is less fearful than before.
He says: “Now I understand it. I’m not afraid to turn to my wife and say, ‘I’m having a bit of a moment’.
“As soon as you say it out loud it helps calm you down.”
Jamie also returned to swimming in the sea near the Brighton home he shares with his wife, actress Claire Marlowe, and their two children. He says: “I’m a lot more fearful now but I think that’s a good thing because I’m a lot more respectful of the ocean.”
Jamie has been on the cobbles since last summer when he made his debut as nice guy Phill, who fell for single mum Fiz.
They tied the knot last week but Phill is reeling after Fiz confessed the marriage is a mistake as she does not love him.
Unbeknown to him, Fiz – played by Jennie McAlpine – has gone back to her ex, Tyrone Dobbs.
Jamie knows it will have gone down well with Corrie fans, who are certain Phill is not as nice as he seems.
He says: “I’m acutely aware Fiz and Tyrone are Coronation Street icons.
“However, I’m 6ft 4ins, so when people approach me to give me a piece of their mind, they change their mind very quickly and become Team Phill! But I understand there are people who don’t trust him.”
Jamie admits he would love to stay in Weatherfield but knows how tough the life of a jobbing actor can be.
When the pandemic hit, he was touring in Mamma Mia! then found himself without an income.
Jamie says: “I worked in a cash and carry and also for Travis Perkins delivering building materials. I was doing that, the year that I got Corrie.
“I’ve been an actor for 22 years but it’s a tough existence. I’m a singer and I play guitar, so between acting jobs I gig and do corporate training work.
“I’ve done my fair share of van driving and working on building sites.”
A London School of Economics survey found 73% of performers are from middle-class homes, despite making up just 29% of the population.
But Jamie grew up in a caravan at the back of a transport café where his single mum worked in Kent.
Never imagining he could be an actor, he became a semi-professional footballer and coach, before studying for a sports science degree.
Jamie says: “This urge to be a performer was so strong. So I went and did an evening class in acting.”
That led him to Richmond Drama School and after graduating he picked up small roles, including the 2006 film Children of Men, a remake of Minder in 2009 and more recently he played a boxer in Peaky Blinders.
Now after Fiz’s change of heart, Jamie gets to re-enact Love Actually when Phill turns up at the Underworld factory and blasts out music while holding up cards containing the words of her favourite love songs.
He says: “I love doing this because I’m a working-class kid who followed his dream. But I’ve got so much imposter syndrome. I always make a point of replying to all my fan mail because I can’t believe people actually want to hear from me.”
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