‘Bridgerton‘ actress Nicola Coughlan has long been praised by fans as a body-positive role model, especially since the hit Netflix drama first premiered in 2020. However, the actress has now opened up about how uncomfortable that label has always made her feel.
In a recent interview, she spoke candidly about the constant conversations around her appearance and why the focus on her body has often overshadowed the work she puts into her roles.
Nicola Coughlan Says The “Body Positivity” Label Feels Strange
Since the early seasons of ‘Bridgerton‘, Coughlan has often found herself framed as a symbol of body representation on television. Yet, the Irish actress says the attention on her size has always felt bizarre, especially because it never reflected how she viewed herself while filming the show.
Speaking to Elle UK for its April issue, Coughlan revealed that while she was shooting the series, she exercised frequently and lost a noticeable amount of weight. She recalled that she was probably around a size 10 at the time, while one of the corsets she wore for the show was a size 8. Even so, people continued describing her as plus-size.
The actress also shared a particularly awkward interaction with a fan when a drunk girl approached her in a bathroom and enthusiastically told her how much she loved ‘Bridgerton‘ because of Coughlan’s body. The conversation made her deeply uncomfortable, and she felt like “I want to die. I hate this so much.”
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Coughlan Simply “Doesn’t Care” About The Size Debate
Despite speaking openly about the issue before, the public conversation about Coughlan’s body has never really faded. The actress has repeatedly asked fans to stop commenting on her appearance, but the attention has continued to follow her. Back in 2022, she even took to Instagram to address it directly.
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In a now-deleted post, she pleaded with followers not to share their opinions about her body with her. “If you have an opinion about my body, please, please don’t share it with me,” she wrote at the time, explaining that receiving thousands of messages about how she looks every day can be incredibly difficult to handle.
Now, Coughlan has found a different way to shut down the discussion by refusing to participate in it at all. She admitted that she sometimes tells people she has no interest in body positivity. She knows that answer tends to irritate people. But the Netflix star also made it clear that she genuinely does not want the conversation to revolve around bodies in the first place.
“When I was a kid growing up, I never thought about that,” Coughlan said. She didn’t spend time analyzing actors’ bodies when watching movies or TV. And because of that, she simply doesn’t care about having that type of conversation today.
With both parts of ‘Bridgerton‘ Season 4 out now, fans are finally seeing a brand-new chapter unfold for Penelope Featherington. Her life has changed dramatically this season as she tries to fit into motherhood. But Season 4 Part 2 brings an even bigger turning point. Penelope has finally put her pen down as the infamous Lady Whistledown and stepped away from the gossip column.
Instead, she is now pursuing new ventures and focusing on a different path. Meanwhile, the ton has no shortage of gossip and scandals because a new Whistledown has emerged to keep the society pages alive.
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