Nicola “Queen of Bridgerton & Bants” Coughlan just made it official-official with her real-life leading man, Jake Dunn, and they did it in style at the 2025 BAFTA Television and Television Craft Nominees’ Party. Love is in the air, and so is the sound of everyone collectively gasping, “Wait, she has a man?!”
Yes, Nicola and her freshly debuted (and might we add adorably youthful) boo Jake strutted into The V&A in London like they were about to announce the next season of Bridgerton: The Modern Era. And tbh, we’d watch the heck outta that.
Now, let’s talk business. Nicola isn’t just there to serve looks and snatch hearts. No ma’am. She’s BAFTA-nominated for Best Female Performance in a Comedy for her role in Big Mood. That’s right, she’s out here being hilarious, emotionally complex, and serving award-worthy content while the rest of us are still trying to find matching socks.
When the nom dropped, Nicola hit Instagram with the most relatable reaction ever:
“Holy moly I’ve been nominated for a BAFTA. I’ve tried to write a long caption but I’m too overwhelmed and excited and emotional to explain how much it means to me.”
Translation: She cried, we cried, the internet cried. A moment.
And let’s rewind the love story real quick: Nicola (38, goddess of comedy and corsets) and Jake (25, certified festival boyfriend material) first lit the romance rumor flame at a London music fest back in August 2024. Since then, we’ve gotten a sneaky Insta birthday shoutout in Feb 2025 (translation: “We’ve been soft-launching, but now y’all can know”).
So here we are. Nicola’s bringing the talent, the charm, and the man to the red carpet. We’re just over here like proud internet aunties, screaming, “YES GIRL!” from behind our phones.
Stay tuned for the BAFTAs this Sunday. Will she win? Will Jake cheer? Will there be more red carpet PDA? Only time (and Instagram Stories) will tell.
