In an exclusive interview with E! News, Nicola Coughlan shared how her boyfriend Jake Dunn was able to join her in Malta while filming her new movie The Magic Faraway Tree, in theaters Aug. 21.
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.
“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.
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.
