Are Bridgerton Stars Luke Newton And Nicola Coughlan Dating In Real Life?

Nicola Coughlan's "Bridgerton" Season 3 role differs from previous seasons; this time, her Penelope Featherington is part of the lead romantic couple. With Penelope's relationship with Luke Newton's Colin Bridgerton front and center, many fans are undoubtedly interested to hear whether the two actors' easy on-screen chemistry translates to an offscreen romance.  

Unfortunately for fans who would love to see the actors behind their favorite period drama characters get together, reality and fiction don't align in this particular case. The pair is just platonic, but Coughlan very much appreciates the sentiment. "We think it's really sweet, I think because we truly love each other," the actor said about the nature of her dynamic with Newton to Extra. She noted that while the two aren't romantically involved, they nevertheless have a very close relationship. "I'll never get to do something like this again, on this scale. It's so nice having such a lovely friend that I can do all this with."

Penelope Featherington's romance with Colin Bridgerton inherits the lead couple position from Season 1's Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page) and Season 2's Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) and Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey). Of course, the show also has several other couples, and given the amount of "Bridgerton" love scenes fans have seen, Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton must have known they had their work cut out for them. Fortunately, Coughlan received plenty of support from her predecessors.

"Simone and Phoebe were both incredible," she told Extra. "They are gracious and kind, and they led this show with just that, with grace and kindness. They both made it known to me ... 'We're here if you need us.' They were just there, they were at the end of the phone. They've been so supportive, and I feel so grateful for that. And I'll be there for the next lady. I don't know her yet, but whoever she is, I'm on the end of the phone."

The pressure to follow the previous couples may have been high, but Coughlan and Newton proved to be more than capable of answering the call. In fact, Coughlan asked to be "very naked" in "Bridgerton" Season 3 to empower herself and belittle her haters. With that attitude and the excellent chemistry between them, Coughlan and Newton are a worthy "Bridgerton" main couple.