Irish actress Nicola Coughlan has become a fan-favourite on Bridgerton, here’s everything you need to know about her life from her career to her love life
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Nicola Coughlan has become a fan-favourite on Netflix’s Bridgerton and is also known for her work on Derry Girls and is all set to star in an upcoming episode of Doctor Who.
As her star rises, the Irish actress has found herself in the headlines thanks to her reported rumoured relationship with fellow actor Jake Dunn.
Nicola is all set to appear on tonight’s episode of The Graham Norton Show (Friday December 13), giving fans the perfect opportunity to learn more about her life – but before then, here’s everything you need to know about the actress, from the breakout moment in her career to her rumoured love life…
Derry Girls breakout
In 2018, Nicola began playing Clare Devlin, one of the main characters in Ireland-based sitcom Derry Girls.
Clare is the voice of reason in her friendship group and is intelligent and studious, often being more intimidated by her friends than by authority figures. She came out as lesbian as the end of season one.
The show follows five teenagers living in mid-1990s Derry while attending Our Lady Immaculate College, a fictional girls’ Catholic secondary school. The first series became the most-watched series in Northern Ireland and was followed up by two more series on Channel 4.
Bridgerton
Nicola got her biggest break with her role as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton, being viewed by a global audience thanks to it streaming on Netflix.
She plays the youngest daughter of a nouveau-riche family in the Regency era in London and has since become a fan-favourite.
The show has so far aired three seasons and has been widely appreciated by critics and audiences for its direction, performances, production and set design.
In 2021, she won the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal as well as winning a Glamour Women of the Year Award in 2022.
Love life
Nicola has been notoriously quiet about her love life but has been linked to fellow actor Jake Dunn as of August 2024. The pair were spotted in October enjoying a stroll in London on a cosy date night out as well as many other occasions.
Fans had also speculated she was dating her Bridgerton co-star and on-screen love interest Luke Newton after the two held hands at the season three launch event.
However, she shut down rumours as she told TIME they are strictly friends and nothing more than that.
Activism
Nicola often uses her social media platforms to raise awareness on social issues, including the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Making her activism apparent in person, the actress was been seen proudly wearing a ceasefire pin badge throughout the season three press tour for Bridgerton. The Irish-native has revealed she’s been warned that her voicing support for Palestine will limit her work in Hollywood, but she doesn’t seem to mind.
She told Teen Vogue: “You do get told [in Hollywood], ‘You won’t get work,’ ‘You won’t do this. But I also think, deep down, if you know that you’re coming from a place of ‘I don’t want any innocent people to suffer,’ then I’m not worried about people’s reactions.”
Catch Nicola on The Graham Norton Show tonight at 10:40pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
