Nicola Coughlandidn’t have to write love letters to her boyfriendJake Dunnwhile filming abroad.
After all, dearest gentle readers, theBridgertonstar was joined by theRenegade Nellactor while shooting her new movieThe 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 includesAndrew GarfieldandClaire 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, sincehard-launching their romancein 2025. “It’s a very happy memory, that time. It was lovely.”
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Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan Shares Rare Insight into Relationship With Boyfriend Jake Dunn
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,” theDerry Girlsalum toldElle 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.
“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 theBridgertoncast.
Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage
Dynevor flashed her engagement ring from producer Cameron Fuller at the 2024 Met Gala.
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.”
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.”
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.”
“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.”
