Jenna
Truth about me and Brendan
Singer Jenna Lee-James has spoken for the first time of the hurt she felt at being accused of nearly ending Strictly star Brendan Cole’s marriage.
Jenna, 43, and former Strictly Come Dancing pro Brendan Cole were photographed in a clinch after a night out in May 2018 – just weeks after his second child was born.
The photos showed Cole, also 43, who is married to social media influencer and model Zoe Hobbs, with his hand on Jenna’s bottom as they left a night club.
But Jenna, from Clydebank, said the images were innocent and not as they seemed at all.
She said: “We hit the headlines in 2018 after a night out when we were caught giving each other a hug goodnight. But it wasn’t what it looked like. We got caught but it was completely innocent.”
She said the pair, who had been on his All Night Long production, were just in the “wrong place at the wrong time”.
Jenna said: “It was at the end of the tour and we had gone out for dinner and a couple of drinks. It was one of those things where the photographs were taken at the wrong place at the wrong time.
“At the end of the night, I got in a taxi and I went home. It wasn’t a nice thing to happen. It was a difficult time for me.
“But I got on with it and Brendan and I kept our heads held high because it was completely innocent.”
The photos, taken outside London’s Ronnie Scott’s jazz club, emerged just weeks after Zoe had given birth to the couple’s second child, son Dante.
And despite this, Jenna claims that reports Brendan’s lifestyle blogger wife had banned him from contacting her were completely made up.
She said: “His wife Zoe and I are good friends. We’ve been out for dinner many times, all of us together. Their marriage is still going strong. He wasn’t banned from contacting me at all. That was all lies.
“Nothing was broken up. It’s a very unfortunate thing that happened and I have to kind of live with it but our friendship still remains. We’re all really good friends and get on real ly wel l work-wise and personally and we enjoy socialising as well.”
And as if to prove it was all just a storm in a teacup, she has also revealed that her and the New Zealand-born dancer are heading back on tour together next month, with Zoe’s blessing.
The Showman tour has three Scottish dates and features songs from smash-hit musical The Greatest Showman.
Jenna said: “It’s a spectacle of dance and music with proper stories through music. It’s more of a theatrical show rather than just ballroom dances.
“You’re getting a spectacle and Brendan is up close and personal. People should come and see it. It’s a real good fun show.”
J enna , who ha s become one of British theat re’s leading performers, started out performing at social clubs in the west of Scotland.
She moved to London when she was just 16 and f inally got her break in 2002 when she landed a major singing role in Queen’s musical We Will Rock You in London’s West End.
Jenna said: “Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor were very hands-on with the
original production of the show. I got to know them wel l . They’re such fantastic guys and the way they write and create is pretty special.
“Brian would tell us lots of stories about Freddie Mercury, which is funny as the movie has come out and a lot of the stories he told about Freddie are in it.” The musical became a huge West End hit after opening at London’s Dominion Theatre but only af ter a roof top appearance at Buckingham Palace to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee that year. Jenna said: “It was a new show and the critics slated it. After we opened in May, we were spoken to by the producers to say it would be closing. Then we did the performance of Party at the Palace where Brian performed on the roof with the cast of We Will Rock You. “The next day the box office at the Dominion couldn’t take the amount of calls they were gett ing and we sold out completely – and that was it. “The legacy carried on for 12 years in London and it’s back on tour and was in Glasgow at Christmas. “My brother was a massive Queen fan growing up. I used to hear Queen music playing in his bedroom.
“To be involved in a Queen show that was a new production was unique and I feel very lucky to have done that.” Last year, Jenna also toured the world with Hu g h J a c kma n , including doing an emotional show at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro. She said: “That is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever done in my life.
“My dad was proud because he always said after the Hydro was built that his daughter would perform there one day. It was a dream.
“I told Hugh my dad had always wanted to see his daughter perform there and he said, ‘ We’re going to make that happen.’
“That’s the kind of man Hugh is. He makes people’s dreams come true. He sat next to my dad at the Hydro and watched me sing a song for my dad.
“When I was on stage, I really had to hold back the tears. It was very emotional.
“My dad didn’t see much of me because he was crying but he heard it and he’s seen videos.”
She added: “Hugh is an exceptional man and an exceptional performer. I feel privileged to have done that job and to be able to call him my friend.
“He real ly is the most generous per former and person that I’ve ever met.
“I encouraged him to try a deep- fried Mars bar in my local f ish and chip shop, Benny’s in Clydebank.
“We’d been talking about it for ages and he wanted to do it. He didn’t just try deep-fried Mars bars, he also tried deep- fried pizza and other dishes. His favourite was the deep-fried Bounty.”
Next, Jenna is heading out on the critically acclaimed Symphonic Queen UK tour, which reaches Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall on February 16.
She added: “It’s the music of Queen with a live rock band and orchestra.
“We’re off to Japan for a few days with the tour, then we come back and prepare for the UK tour, which is exciting.
“It’s going to be the first time the show has come to Glasgow.
“It’s four singers who all performed and played lead roles in We Will Rock You in the West End in London.
“With the Queen symphonic tour, we have such fun and anyone who comes to see it will see how much fun we have on stage because it is such fantastic music to perform.”