Nicola Coughlan Shares Rare Insight into Relationship with Jake Dunn

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Nicola Coughlan is not letting numbers—or distance—define her relationship. 

Despite being 13 years older than her boyfriend, Jake Dunn, 26, Bridgerton star Eloise McGreggor is actually the more grounded and mature one in the relationship.

Nicola, 39, jokingly told Elle UK that her husband insists on a 10pm bedtime, even though he doesn’t even own slippers. She prefers to stay up much later, often until 2am.

Even though there’s a significant age gap, Nicola says she actually feels more youthful than ever before.

She explained, ‘I felt like an old soul even when I was younger, but now I feel rejuvenated. I had no idea what my life would look like at this age.’

Despite often being apart because of their jobs, the couple—who became official in 2025—make a real effort to stay in touch.

“We do what we can,” the former Derry Girls star said. “I constantly send him silly videos and we talk a lot on FaceTime, but he’s really busy.”

Not that Nicola minds, as she was a fan even before they began dating.

She explained that before they became a couple, she simply admired his acting ability. But she also shared that she really appreciates it when someone has their own passions and interests.

Nicola usually kept her relationships private, but in February 2025, she publicly revealed her romance in a sweet way on social media. She shared a photo of Jake, who didn’t realize she was taking it, and wished him a happy birthday with a heart emoji.

Just two months after getting together, Nicola and Jake made their first public appearance as a couple at a BAFTA party in London. They looked fantastic together, with Jake wearing all black that matched Nicola’s elegant Carolina Herrera black dress.

She later talked about how it felt to see photos of the beginning of her relationship with Jake published by the paparazzi.

Honestly, it breaks my heart just thinking about it. She described it perfectly – it’s like having a perfect night out with friends, just laughing and enjoying yourself, and then someone just… takes that. They steal that moment and put it out there for everyone to see. It feels like such a huge invasion of privacy, like they’ve completely violated something precious. It’s not just a picture; it’s that feeling, that night, and they’ve taken it from you. It’s awful.

Though her character, Penelope Featherington, found love with Colin Bridgerton in season three of the show, Nicola Coughlan herself has been linked romantically to Jake Dunn, who starred in Renegade Nell.

Although their characters, Lord Debling and Prudence Dankworth, don’t have a romantic connection on screen, the actors who play them are a couple in real life.

And it appears that Carter’s mum Imelda Staunton approves.

Daphne Bridgerton, whose character married Simon Basset (played by Regé-Jean Page) on the show Bridgerton, is now planning her own real-life wedding.

Dynevor flashed her engagement ring from producer Cameron Fuller at the 2024 Met Gala.

As a longtime fan, I’ve been so curious about what Regé-Jean Page, our Duke of Hastings, is up to since leaving Bridgerton after the first season. He’s always been private, but it seems like things have been going really well for him with Emily Brown, a copywriter – they’ve been spotted together looking incredibly happy since 2021, and I’m thrilled for him!

Like Anthony, 9th Viscount Bridgerton, the English actor prefers to stay mum on romantic affairs.

In December 2023, he told The Standard he was in a private, but known, relationship with a wonderful man.

Honestly, seeing Matt Bomer talk about this just gets me. He said having a private life is totally essential for him, and it makes so much sense! He basically admitted he wouldn’t feel brave enough to speak his mind about important things if he felt like everyone was constantly digging into his personal life. It’s like, you need that space to be you to be able to stand up for what you believe in, and I totally understand where he’s coming from. It’s everything!

Simone Ashley, known for her role in Sex Education and initially linked to Anthony following his return from India, publicly confirmed her relationship with Tino Klein on Instagram in March 2023. However, in a February 2025 interview on the BBC’s Woman Hour podcast, she announced their breakup, stating it happened the previous month.

Benedict Bridgerton appears to value his freedom, both in pursuing his art and in his personal life. However, it seems like he might be starting to catch feelings for someone.

Thompson, known for keeping his personal life private, fully embraced his character’s storyline and was open to whatever challenges it presented.

Oh my gosh, he said in his Deadline interview, right before the season finale aired, that while he loves the adventure and exploring new things, finding somewhere – or someone – to really settle down with is just as amazing and exciting! I swear, he’s hinting at something, isn’t he? It’s just so sweet to hear him talk about wanting that kind of stability, even with everything else going on. I’m totally obsessed with the idea!

Actor Newton dated Jade Louise Davies for several years. Jade’s sister, Amber Davies, famously won the U.K. version of Love Island in 2017 with her boyfriend at the time, Kem Cetinay.

He was photographed holding hands with dancer Antonia Roumelioti in London after the midseason premiere of Bridgerton in June 2024.

It’s no surprise that many viewers are upset the actors who play Colin and Penelope aren’t a couple in real life.

Coughlan shared with Extra that the cast members genuinely care for each other, which is why fans are so invested in their on-screen relationships. She described it as ‘really sweet’ and attributed it to their real-life affection for one another.

Though currently unattached, actress Charithra Chandran—who played Edwina Sharma—captured viewers’ hearts in her 2024 romantic comedy, How to Date Billy Walsh. The film also stars her close friend, Sebastian Croft.

The actress who landed the role of Eloise Bridgerton actually fell in love with Cole Edwards, one of the audition readers who isn’t a professional actor.

Jessie shared with The Guardian in April 2024 that she received both a job offer and a romantic connection on the same day, calling it a wonderful turn of events.

Despite her character Eloise remaining a virgin on the show, she openly and honestly discussed her own experiences with intimacy.

In a 2026 interview with the Associated Press, Claudia jokingly said, ‘It’s funny, but I’m actually having more romantic encounters than both Hannah Dodd and Luke Newton in real life.’

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2026-03-05 22:47