A 15-year age gap and social media comments. Inside Nicola Coughlan's rumoured new relationship.

Dearest gentle reader, in news that would make Lady Whistledown herself excited, Nicola Coughlan has been seen around town with a new man in her life. 

After months of speculation surrounding Coughlan's dating life (including some wishful but untrue rumours about her Bridgerton co-stars), our favourite leading lady has found herself in the midst of her own romance. 

During the Points East festival in London, Coughlan was spotted embracing a gentleman whose identity everyone quickly jumped to find. 

So who is Coughlan's rumoured boyfriend? Here’s everything we know about her new mystery man. 

Nicola Coughlan's rumoured boyfriend, Jake Dunn, pictured in 2022. Image: Instagram/jakeldunn.

 As soon as news hit that Coughlan was seen with a potential new suitor, in true internet fashion, his identity was very quickly discovered. 

Who is Jake Dunn?

Meet Jake Dunn — a British film producer and actor. Like Coughlan, Dunn is known for his strong presence gracing the screen in the period drama space. Starring as Thomas Blancheford in Disney’s 18th-century historical fantasy series, Renegade Nell, Dunn shows off his acting chops by grinding our gears as the entitled heir to the Magistrate. 

If you think you recognise Dunn's face from somewhere else, you may be correct as he has also been in a range of television series including Big Boys, The Bastard Son & The Devil, and Get Even. 

Interestingly, while Coughlan and Dunn have not appeared on screen together yet, they do have some crossover when it comes to their co-stars. 

Dunn has previously worked alongside Coughlan's Derry Girls co-stars and close friends, Louisa Hardland and Dylan Llewellyn.

As an emerging British star, there is still plenty we do not know about Dunn and his relationship with Coughlan. However, we’re sure we will continue to see lots of him in years to come! 

Is Nicola Coughlan dating Jake Dunn?

The pair are rumoured to be an item. Image: Instagram/bridgerton.fans.arg

Despite the typical celebrity etiquette we use to keep track of new and emerging celebrity couples, Coughlan and Dunn have actually yet to officially "hard launch" their relationship. However, there are a few tell-tale signs that point to the fact that the two are probably dating. 

The first time the two were spotted cosying up was actually in March 2024, via an Instagram story posted by one of Dunn’s Renegade Nell co-stars. 

Rumours started to swell further when the two were seen having fun together at a festival in London later that same year. 

Safe to say, this is not the last we will see of these two gorgeous humans. 

The age gap between Nicola Coughlan and her boyfriend.

As many have noted online, there is quite a significant age gap between the two lovers and we are living for it. 

With Coughlan being 37, a millennial, and Dunn aged 24, firmly in Gen Z, can we classify this as a cross-generational relationship? Gen Z fans certainly think so, and they're loving it.

Watch a clip from Nicola Coughlan's interview with Seth Meyers. Story continues below.

Nicola Coughlan's dating history.

Image: Instagram/nicolacoughlan

 So before this new flame, who has Nicola Coughlan dated before? 

Coughlan has generally kept her relationships quite private and as a result, her love life has often been shrouded in mystery, leading to speculations and rumours linking her to co-stars (cough Luke Newton). 

Wish as some of us may, thanks to their incredible chemistry on screen, Coughlan and Newton are just friends and coworkers. 

"I'll never get to do something like this again, on this scale. It's so nice having such a lovely friend that I can do all this with," Coughlan told Extra at the premiere of Bridgerton Season 3.

For us celebrity couple mavens, this relatively low-key snippet into this couple's life is divine. Here’s hoping that we’ll get to see more of this gorgeous celebrity couple in the future! 

Feature Image: Getty.