Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan hits out at body shamers with 'very naked' scene: 'Big f*** you'

The first half of Bridgerton's third season is now available to stream on Netflix and fan favourite star Nicola Coughlan takes a starring role, with her character Penelope Featherington desperate to find love and leave her mother's house.

Penelope has been pining over Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) since she was a young girl, and this season will see the pair's blossoming relationship in full focus.

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Bridgerton is known for its racy scenes, and Nicola has revealed when it came time for her X-rated scenes, she made sure she had a nude scene as a "big f*** you" to people who have body-shamed her in the past.

"People ask ignorant questions like, 'How do you feel knowing anyone can go on Netflix and see you naked?' and my answer is I feel great about it, because not only did I consent to it but I drove it," she told Stylist. "There’s a reason this show became a phenomenon: it’s about women feeling desire, owning their sexuality and driving the charge in those situations rather than just being an object of a man’s affections.”

"I specifically asked for certain lines and moments to be included," she added. "There’s one scene where I’m very naked on camera, and that was my idea, my choice.

"It just felt like the biggest 'f*** you' to all the conversation surrounding my body; it was amazingly empowering. I felt beautiful in the moment, and I thought: 'When I’m 80, I want to look back on this and remember how f***ing hot I looked!'"

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The actress has previously asked her Instagram followers to stop commenting on her body, sharing a post in 2022 that read: "If you have an opinion about my body please, please don’t share it with me… It's really hard to take the weight of thousands of opinions on how you look being sent directly to you every day."

Speaking with W Magazine, Nicola shared there are many moments that she is excited for fans to finally see.

"There are genuinely things in every single episode that I’m really excited for fans to see," she said. "I know that sounds really vague, but it almost feels like it’s eight separate movies, in a sense. Each episode has a distinct storyline and happens at a fast pace.

"There’s a part of me that’s really excited for the fans to see things from the books. It was exciting to bring those to the screen knowing that people have loved the books for over 20 years and have read them for so long. So those scenes, like the carriage scene, I’m so excited for them to see."

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