‘Bridgerton’ Star Nicola Coughlan Shares Rare Glimpse of Cyprus Holiday With Boyfriend Jake Dunn
Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan has given fans a rare look at her private life, posting a series of photos from a weeklong holiday in Cyprus with her boyfriend, actor Jake Dunn.
Coughlan, 39, and Dunn, 26, stayed at the five-star Anassa resort on the island’s northwest coast. The Instagram carousel included a photo of Coughlan posing in a swimsuit, a shot of her in an off-the-shoulder black dress for a dinner date and a shirtless picture of Dunn.
Coughlan kept her caption lighthearted, joking that she had discovered that a week of lounging by the pool, reading, eating well and relaxing at a beautiful hotel was, surprisingly, very good for body and soul. She added that not everyone was brave enough to say it, but that she would. She then closed on a sincere note, saying it had been a special time and that she was very grateful.
A Famously Private Romance
The post was a notable departure for Coughlan, who has generally kept her relationship with Dunn out of the spotlight.
The pair were first linked in the summer of 2024, when they were photographed together at the U.K. premiere of Dunn’s Disney+ series Renegade Nell and later spotted at London pubs and the All Points East festival. Coughlan’s close friend and Derry Girls co-star Louisa Harland reportedly introduced them.
Coughlan first posted Dunn on Instagram in February 2025 with a birthday tribute. The couple made their red-carpet debut two months later at the BAFTA Television Craft Awards nominees’ party in London.
The actress has spoken candidly about how uncomfortable the attention can be. In a profile with The Guardian last December, she described spending an ordinary evening at a pub and then seeing paparazzi photos of it days later. “The violation is immense,” she said.
On Set Together in Malta
Coughlan recently offered another rare comment about the relationship while promoting her new film, The Magic Faraway Tree, which was released in theaters Aug. 21. She told E! News that Dunn joined her in Malta for the entire shoot.
“He came for a visit and then stayed,” Coughlan said, explaining that he was on a break from his own filming at the time.
Dunn, a graduate of London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, has appeared in Channel 4’s Big Boys, the BBC and Netflix series Get Even and Renegade Nell.
Coughlan rose to fame as Clare Devlin in Derry Girls before becoming a global star as Penelope Featherington in Netflix’s Bridgerton. Her character led the show’s third season, which centered on Penelope’s romance with Colin Bridgerton, played by Luke Newton.
The couple’s 13-year age gap has drawn comments from fans online, though Coughlan and Dunn have largely declined to address it publicly.
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