If you’ve watched two of the most popular TV series in recent years, you’ve most likely seen Nicola Coughlan, the star of Bridgerton and Derry Girls.
After playing Clare Devlin in the Northern Irish comedy and Penelope Featherington in the romantic Netflix historical drama, Nicola has established herself as a small screen star in the UK.
Nicola is not just a main performer in Derry Girls and Bridgerton, but she has also been on panel programmes such as Would I Lie to You? and Taskmaster, as well as in the 2023 film office hit Barbie.
And, despite already being a known and renowned face, her star will undoubtedly soar even more with the upcoming season of Bridgerton, which premieres on Netflix on May 16.
However, despite the fact that we’ve seen Nicola on our TVs in recent years, it turns out that some of us had never met her. We were all astonished when we found out her genuine age.
Brace yourselves. Nicola, who portrayed Clare, 17, and Penelope, 18, is 37 years old. Thirty. Seven. We’ll just give everyone a time to compose themselves.
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one who is hard to cope with the news; fans have expressed their views on social media following the release of a new Bridgerton teaser.
On X, Kiki commented: ‘You’re telling me Nicola Coughlan is a whole 37 years of age? How can you look me in the eye and tell me that woman isn’t, at most, 25? I refuse to believe it. Conspiracy is afoot.’
Sophia expressed her feelings much more succinctly, simply shouting: ‘Nicola Coughlan is 37?!’
When Janel on Twitter compared Nicola’s Clare to Siobhán McSweeney’s Sister Michaels from Derry Girls, she was surprised to discover that the two actors are just seven years apart in age.
‘Nothing has sold me on the “millennials are aging at a weird pace” theory more than the realisation that [Nicola and Siobhán] are only 7 years apart in age.’
Mikayla and Nicola, both Bridgerton and Derry Girls fans, were astounded and stated it’made no sense’ since Nicola was only three years from reaching 40.
The illusion that Nicola seems much younger than she is may be due to the fact that she just began regular acting in her late twenties; at the time of Derry Girls’ premiere episode in 2018, it was Nicola’s first meaningful employment in six years.
She was already 31 at the time, and by the time she began filming Bridgerton, she had aged another year.
The teaser for Bridgerton‘s third season, which will be published in two batches this summer, has fans ‘fainting’ with its ferocity after nearly two years apart.
The hit historical drama from Shonda Rhimes will return in May and June, with Nicola’s character Penelope and Colin Bridgerton, portrayed by Luke Newton, taking centre stage.
Watch Bridgerton and Derry Girls on Netflix.