At long last, Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan are finally getting their time in the spotlight as lovers Colin and Penelope on the latest season of Bridgerton. But their on-screen romance has some fans of the series wondering…who’s Luke Newton’s girlfriend when the cameras aren’t rolling?
On Netflix’s Bridgerton, Newton plays Colin Bridgerton, who is part of the prominent Bridgerton family in Regency-era London. The series—which is based on the book series of the same name by Julia Quinn and produced by Shonda Rhimes—revolves around the lives and romantic escapades of the Bridgertons, particularly on the eight siblings and their quest for love, happiness, and, of course, scandal.
As the third Bridgerton child, Newton’s character has become a fan favorite thanks to his boyish charm and kind heart—plus, he’s got some serious chemistry brewing with his on-screen love interest, Penelope Featherington, played by Nicola Coughlan.
While Coughlan’s character is from a rival family, she still harbors a secret crush on Colin for quite some time. At first, Colin sees her as a close confidante—that is, until their friendship begins to evolve into something more as the series progresses. Without giving away too many spoilers, their slow-burn journey is one of the sweeter storylines in the Bridgerton series—so it makes complete sense for some fans to wonder if these actors have something going on IRL. (More on that up ahead.)
Aside from Bridgerton, Newton has been involved in other projects. He starred as Ben Evans on the Disney Channel series The Lodge, and has also appeared in other TV series such as Doctors, Mr Selfridge, and The Cut. As it turns out, Newton may have had some romantic rendezvous thanks to these projects, too. But seriously, did any of them ever make it past the small screen to become Luke Newton’s girlfriend in real life? You’ll just have to keep on reading ahead to find out.
Who is Luke Newton dating as of 2024? Keep on reading ahead for Luke Newton’s dating history—including updates on if there’s anyone calling themselves Luke Newton’s girlfriend out there.
At the after party for the London premiere of Bridgerton season three, part two, Luke Newton was seen holding hands with dancer Antonia Roumelioti, his rumored girlfriend. Not much is known about her but he does follow her on Instagram, which is all the proof that we need.
If you’re wondering whether Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan are more than just co-stars, you’re not alone. It’s understandable why fans might wonder, given their amazing on-screen chemistry in Bridgerton as Colin and Penelope. But as for whether they’re dating in real life? Nope, sorry.
Coughlan had a diplomatic response to the recent speculation, telling Extra at the Bridgerton season 3 premiere, “We think it’s really sweet, I think because we truly love each other,” before clarifying Newton’s status in her life. “He is a really special person in my life, and I got to do this experience with him,” she shared. “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.” So, there you have it—just friends!
Luke Newton was in a pretty serious relationship with Welsh actress Jade Louis Davies for about four years, up until early 2023. The pair weren’t all too shy about their romance, either—they often posted about each other on social media and hit up a few red carpets together, including the season 2 premiere of Bridgerton.
Newton once gushed about his relationship with Davies in an interview with PopSugar in 2021, telling the site all about their most romantic moments together. “I did a surprise trip for my girlfriend,” he told the site. “I took her to Amsterdam last year and she’d been mentioning for ages that she needed a new suitcase. She didn’t have a little holder suitcase. It had broken, so when it was leading up to Christmas, I got her a case and I was like, “Oh, before we go, I’ll give you this case you can use. Merry Christmas.” And then she opened it and inside was the boarding pass and it said we’re leaving tonight.”
From the sounds of it, Davies was also quite the sweetheart: during their relationship, the West End actress made a scrapbook filled with memories of their love story. “The most romantic thing for me is that [my girlfriend] made me a book with photos from our entire relationship and every special occasion, like the date, where we were, and what happened,” Newton said of Davies at the time. “She’s got an amazing memory, much better than mine, so it’s kind of nice to me to look back and go, “Oh, that’s what we were doing that day,” rather than just remembering the photo.”
Unfortunately, every good story has its end, and theirs came in 2023. According to sources who spoke to The Sun, the couple called it quits because they couldn’t sync up their busy lives. “Luke and Jade drifted apart as they could not find time in their busy schedules to invest in their relationship,” the source spilled.
Long before his Bridgerton days, Newton was linked to English actress Sophie Simnett. The pair met on the set of Disney UK’s The Lodge, where Simnett starred as Skye Hart, a talented singer and songwriter navigating the ups and downs of life at a rural hotel.
Between 2016 and 2018, there were some reports about something brewing between the pair. While they never officially confirmed anything, the rumor mill was on fire as these two were spotted together a lot, often hitting up events and showing up on each other’s social media feeds. Naturally, fans couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more than just friendship going on. But, like all good gossip, nothing was ever confirmed. So, whether there was a love story brewing behind the scenes or it was just speculation, well, we might never know for sure!
