Holby City Debra Stephenson
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Debra Stephenson returns to Holby City as Jeni Sinclaire

Former Coronation Street star is playing a different character this time

Debra Stephenson appears on Holby City this week.

The former Coronation Street actress, 48, features on the popular medical drama for a second time.

So who is Jeni, the character she playing? And what else has been in since leaving Corrie?

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Who is Debra Stephenson playing in Holby City?

Actress Debra Stephenson plays Jeni Sinclaire, director of funding of Holby City Hospital.

But this is not her first time on the serial medical drama, as she also appeared as a different character in a single episode back in 2017.

Debra is a television actress, impressionist and singer (Credit: SplashNews)

For the episode ‘What We Pretend To Be’ Debra played Harriet Jacobson. According to Debra’s IMDB profile, she will appear on at least three episodes as character Jeni this year.

Why did Debra Stephenson leave Coronation Street?

Debra left her role as Frankie at the end of 2006 to spend more time with her friends and family.

On the show she played the wife and then ex-wife of Danny Baldwin (played by Bradley Walsh).

Read more: Who did Oliver Farnworth play in Coronation Street?

Frankie is the former babysitter of Danny, but he eventually left his wife for her after they embarked on a steamy affair.

During their time on the Street Danny cheated on Frankie several times, resulting in their divorce.

Later Frankie embarked on a controversial relationship with her former stepson Jamie.

Do you remember Debra in Coronation Street? (Credit: ITV)

Finally she left the Street to move in with a friend in Essex. But she is mentioned again in the 2009 spin-off film Coronation Street: Romanian Holiday.

It is revealed she’s married a footballer, and after Hayley and Roy Cropper accidentally miss their nuptials, Frankie invites them to stay at her villa.

Playing the role from 2004-2006, Debra has gone on to say she found the role exhausting, especially when she was pregnant with her second child.

Speaking to The Mirror she said: “By the time I was heavily pregnant, I had that mad plot where Frankie developed feelings for her stepson Jamie (Rupert Hill) and I found it draining.

“It was a bit of a shame because I left the show in an exhausted state and I needed a couple of years off after that.”

What else has Debra been on?

Before Debra landed her role in Corrie, she was well-known for starring Bad Girls. She played Shell Dockley across 35 episodes in the popular female prison drama.

She’s also a successful impressionist, and co-hosted The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson along with Jon Culshaw from 2009-2011.

Additional acting roles include playing Diane Powell in Playing the Field, Chloe’s Mum in My Mad Fat Diary and Charlotte Hill in Doctors.

Frankie and Danny Baldwin
Corrie characters Frankie and Danny Baldwin (Credit: ITV)

Is Debra married? Does she have any kids?

Debra is married to builder James Duffield. They share two children together – Max (around 19), and Zoe (around 14).

When Debra and Bradley were both on Coronation Street, tabloids reported that they were having an affair in real life.

However, both parties adamantly denied the rumours.

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In fact, Debra even tearfully said during a stage performance at the time that her husband was the love of her life.

She declared back in 2006: “We have been together for 14 years and married for seven. We have got a little boy together and another one on the way, but I guess you know that already. My husband is the love of my life.”

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor