Nicola Coughlan Makes Rare Comment About Boyfriend Jake Dunn

Aug 18, 2026 - 07:04

0 0

Nicola Coughlan didn’t have to write love letters to her boyfriend Jake Dunn while filming abroad.

After all, dearest gentle readers, the Bridgerton star was joined by the Renegade Nell actor while shooting her new movie The Magic Faraway Tree, out in theaters Aug. 21.

“He actually was in Malta the whole time I was filming, so I can't complain,” Coughlan told E! News in an exclusive interview. “He came for a visit and then stayed. He was on a break from filming at that time. He's like, ‘I think I’m gonna stay.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, stay!’”

But it wasn’t just Coughlan, 39, who had her partner there. Indeed, she confirmed that many of the film’s cast and crew—which includes Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy—had also brought their loved ones.

“There was lots of little kids there, husbands, wives, friends,” continued Coughlan, who has been very private about her relationship with Dunn, 26, since hard-launching their romance in 2025. “It's a very happy memory, that time. It was lovely.”

Of course, Coughlan isn’t always able to bring her boyfriend along while filming on location, and she previously shared how the pair makes the long distance work.

“We try our best,” the Derry Girls alum told Elle U.K. in March. “I send him annoying videos all the time and then, you know, a lot of FaceTime, but he’s super-busy.”

And even though Dunn may have a packed schedule, rest assured that his work is part of what drew Coughlan to him in the first place.

Scott Garfitt/BAFTA via Getty Images

“Before we were together, I just thought he was a really talented actor,” she continued. “But I love when people have their own stuff going on.”

Plus, Coughlan realized that, despite their 13-year age gap, she has never felt younger.

“He doesn’t have slippers, but he’s always like, ‘10 p.m. is bedtime,’” she shared. “And I’m like, ‘Let’s stay up until 2!’”

As Coughlan put it, “I felt old when I was young and I feel young now. I didn’t know [who] I would be at 39.”

Keep reading to dive deeper into the IRL love lives of the Bridgerton cast.

Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage

Nicola Coughlan

While Nicola's Penelope Featherington found love with Luke Newton's Colin Bridgerton on season three, Nicola herself hard-launched her romance with Renegade Nell alum Jake Dunn in February 2025.

Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage

Sam Phillips and Bessie Carter

Lord Debling and Prudence Dankworth (née Featherington) may not factor into each other's love lives on the show, but the actors made a real-life match for a time. However, the pair ultimately separated in April 2025.

Shane Anthony Sinclair/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

Phoebe Dynevor

Daphne Bridgerton swapped vows with Regé-Jean Page's Simon Basset, and now the Bridgerton alum plans to take her own stroll down the aisle.

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

Kate Green/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

Regé-Jean Page

The erstwhile Duke of Hastings, Page having left the show after season one, keeps his personal cards close to his vest off-camera, but has looked awfully happy in copywriter Emily Brown's company since 2021.

James Veysey/Shutterstock

Jonathan Bailey

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

But he told The Standard in December 2023 that he was in a not-secret-but-private relationship with a "lovely man."

"Having a private life is, for me, completely critical," the Fellow Travelers star said. "I don't know if I would be able to be as confident to speak out on other things if I felt that my whole life was up for grabs."

James Veysey/Shutterstock

Simone Ashley

The Sex Education star, who fit the Vicountess bill for Anthony upon arrival from India, confirmed she was in a relationship with Tino Klein with a March 2023 Instagram post. But in February 2025, the actress shared she had entered her "single era" in an interview on BBC’s Woman Hour podcast, revealing the split occured one month prior.

James Veysey/Shutterstock

Luke Thompson

Benedict Bridgerton seemingly just wants to be free to do his thing, as an artist and in the bedroom. Though maybe he's developing some feelings...

And Thompson, who's not one to share what he's up in real life, was totally onboard with his character's journey, wherever it took him.

"It's lovely to explore," he told Deadline ahead of the season three finale, "but also putting down some roots and choosing something or someone also has huge value and excitement."

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Luke Newton

Newton dated actress Jade Louise Davies—her sister Amber Davies won Love Island U.K. in 2017 with then-boyfriend Kem Cetinay—for several years.

But he was snapped following Bridgerton's June 2024 midseason premiere in London hand-in-hand with dancer Antonia Roumelioti.

Of course, most fans are just disappointed that Colin Bridgerton and Penelope aren't together in real life.

"We think it’s really sweet," Coughlan told Extra of the off-camera shipping that goes on for them. "I think because we truly love each other."

Simon Ackerman/WireImage

Charithra Chandran

The actress who plays Kate's sparkling sister Edwina Sharma may be single at the moment, but she sent hearts soaring with the release of her 2024 rom-com How to Date Billy Walsh, costarring her longtime friend Sebastian Croft.

Lia Toby/Getty Images

Claudia Jessie

It turns out the actress destined to play Eloise Bridgerton ended up falling for the non-actor she auditioned with, casting editor Cole Edwards.

"I got a job and a fella on the same day," Jessie told The Guardian in April 2024. "It was a great day for me, wasn't it?"

She also not shied away from sharing candid confessions about her sex life, despite the fact that her character Eloise has yet to have sex on the series.

“It’s funny though,’” Claudia joked with AP during a joint interview with Hannah Dodd and Luke Newton in 2026, “cause in real life I’m having more sex than both of them.”

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App