Who Is Bridgerton Star Nicola Coughlan’s Boyfriend? All About Jake Dunn — And How Far Back Their Relationship Really Goes

After playing the lead in one of the most talked about romances of 2024, Nicola Coughlan has found her own real-life love story.

The Bridgerton star has been linked to actor Jake Dunn since they were spotted together in August 2024, but it wasn’t until October that they took their romance public as they enjoyed a stroll in London on a cozy date night. Several months later, in February 2025, the two made their relationship Instagram official.

In 2024, fans speculated that Coughlan was dating her Bridgerton costar and on-screen love interest, Luke Newton, after the two held hands at a season 3 launch event. However, she has since shut down the rumors, telling TIME they are just friends.

“A lot of people really want me to marry Luke,” she told the outlet in October 2024. “We have this gorgeous friendship. We have such a love for one another and this experience that I’ll never have with someone else again. Isn’t it gorgeous that a man and woman can have that sort of relationship with one another?”

So who is Nicola Coughlan’s boyfriend? Here’s everything to know about Jake Dunn and his relationship with the actress.

He studied acting in London

Dunn went to school for acting at the Guildhall School for Music and Drama in London, graduating in 2022. While he was there, he studied drama and starred in two main productions on campus, including as Betsy’s husband in Anna Karenina and Cassius in Julius Caesar, per his bio page.

He also worked on a number of projects, including Much Ado About Nothing, Oedipus and Death of a Salesman.

He starred in a Disney+ show

Following his graduation, Dunn began working professionally on several TV shows, most notably Disney+’s Renegade Nell, a show set in a fantastical 18th-century England. Dunn plays Thomas, one of the villains in the story.

“He was so unlikable and enjoyed being unlikable that you kind of had to go there,” Dunn told a journalist in April 2024.

Most recently, Dunn appeared in William Tell, a movie starring Ben Kingsley and Sex Education‘s Connor Swindells, which premiered in January 2025.

Coughlan supported Dunn at his show’s premiere

Renegade Nell had its world premiere in March 2024 in London, and Dunn had Coughlan by his side. Though the two weren’t photographed walking the carpet together, one of Dunn’s costars, Alice Kremelberg, later shared a throwback snap from the premiere that featured Coughlan.

In the June 2024 post, Kremelberg included a photo of her posing with Coughlan and Dunn as the latter had his arm around the Bridgerton star, leaning into her face.

Coughlan and Dunn were first linked in August 2024

Fans first started buzzing about Coughlan and Dunn when the two were spotted together enjoying the music at All Points East festival at Victoria Park in London in August 2024. The Daily Mail obtained photos of Coughlan cozying up to Dunn as they enjoyed Mitski’s performance.

Coughlan seemingly confirmed her relationship with Dunn when the couple were spotted getting cozy on a date night in London in October 2024. The duo were seen embracing as they strolled down a street after leaving an Irish bar.

The sighting came a month after Dunn posted a photo of one of his friends wearing a hat that said “Nicola Coughlan” paired with a shirt that read “and her perfect breasts,” referencing a June 2024 clip of Coughlan referring to “women with my body type” as “women with perfect breasts.”

They made their relationship Instagram official in February 2025

Coughlan made her relationship with Dunn Instagram official when she gave the actor a sweet shout-out on his birthday on Feb. 12, 2025.

“Happy Birthday ♥️,” she wrote on her Stories.

He and Coughlan made their red carpet debut in April 2025

Dunn supported Coughlan at the BAFTA Television & Television Craft Awards nominees party in April 2025 — marking the couple’s first red carpet appearance.

The actress received a BAFTA nomination for best female performance in a comedy for her work in the series Big Mood.