Real-Life Loves
‘Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan & Boyfriend Jake Dunn Take Major Step in Relationship
It’s been eight months since Nicola Coughlan and Jake Dunn were first linked, and the couple has now reached a major milestone in their relationship.
Although the two are notoriously private about their romance, they took a very public step while attending the BAFTA Television and Television Craft Nominees’ Party. Coughlan is nominated for Female Performance in a Comedy for her role in Big Mood at the upcoming BAFTA Television Craft Awards on April 27, and Dunn was there to support her at the pre-show event.
While they mostly posed for solo photos on the red carpet, the Bridgerton star and her man also took a picture together, marking their first red carpet appearance as a couple. Coughlan was at the premiere of Dunn’s show Renegade Nell in March, but they did not hit the carpet together at that event.
Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
However, Coughlan, 38, did make the romance Instagram official in February when she celebrated her boyfriend’s 25th birthday with a tribute post. She shared a photo of Dunn on her Instagram story with the caption, “Happy Birthday,” and a red heart emoji. He’s still not on her main feed, though!
On Bridgerton, Coughlan’s character Penelope Featherington’s love interest is Luke Newton‘s Colin Bridgerton. Their chemistry on the show had fans begging for the two to get together in real life, but Coughlan shut down any rumors of a romance in an October 2024 interview.
“A lot of people really want me to marry Luke,” she told Time. “We have this gorgeous friendship. We have such a love for one another and this experience that I’ll never have with someone else again. Isn’t it gorgeous that a man and woman can have that sort of relationship with one another?”
In real life, Newton is in a relationship with professional dancer Antonia Roumelioti. They were first linked in June 2024.
