Who is Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan and what other TV shows has she been on?

Nicola Coughlan plays Penelope Featherington and Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton and she was the first actor cast on the show. The show is set in 1813’s London and Penelope is part of the upper-class Featherington family.

Penelope is best friends with Eloise Bridgerton, the second-eldest of the Bridgerton family. When it comes to the marriage market, the Featheringtons are always in competition with the Bridgerton girls as they are more established and get more options.

In the first season all three Featherington sisters debuted in order to increase their chances - meanwhile of the Bridgerton family only Daphne, the eldest daughter, was debuted. Luckily this has never got in the way of Penelope’s relationship with Eloise.

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There is one thing Penelope has hidden from Eloise all through season one - which is that she is the face behind Lady Whistledown. It was quite the plot twist for fans at the end of the first season.

But who is the actor behind Penelope and what other shows has she been on? Here’s everything you need to know.

Coughlan is a 35-year-old Irish actress from Galway. She currently lives in London and has a degree in English and Classical Civilisation from the National University of Ireland in Galway. She then went on to receive training at the Oxford School of Drama and Birmingham School of Acting.

In 2004, she started her career with a role in Tom Collins’ short film, The Phantom Cnut, a revenge comedy. In the following years, she did various voice works. However, due to financial struggles Coughlan had to go back to Ireland. Coughlan has been open about her struggle with depression during