Nicola Coughlan Shares a ‘Very Happy Memory’ with Boyfriend Jake Dunn While Filming in Malta

Jake Dunn and Nicola Coughlan, BAFTA Television and Television Craft Nominees’ Party, April 2025.

Nicola Coughlan is offering a rare glimpse into her relationship with boyfriend Jake Dunn, revealing how the actor unexpectedly became part of one of her happiest memories while she was filming her upcoming movie, The Magic Faraway Tree.

The 39-year-old Bridgerton star recently spoke with E! News about how she and Dunn, 26, manage their relationship despite demanding acting schedules that can frequently take them to different locations.

According to Coughlan, distance turned out not to be much of a problem while she was working in Malta on The Magic Faraway Tree. Dunn initially traveled there simply to visit her, but because he happened to be on a break from his own filming commitments, the short trip quickly became something much longer.

“He actually was in Malta the whole time I was filming, so I can’t complain,” Coughlan said.

She explained that Dunn arrived expecting to spend some time with her before eventually realizing that there was no urgent reason for him to leave.

“He came for a visit and then stayed. He was on a break from filming at that time,” she recalled. Dunn eventually told her, “I think I’m gonna stay,” prompting Coughlan to happily respond, “Yeah, stay!”

For Coughlan, having her boyfriend nearby transformed what could have been an intense period of location filming into a particularly warm personal experience.

Dunn was not the only loved one who became part of life on the set.

Coughlan explained that several of her castmates were also fortunate enough to have relatives, partners and friends join them during production. The ensemble for The Magic Faraway Tree includes major stars such as Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, and the atmosphere off camera apparently became unusually family-oriented.

“There was lots of little kids there, husbands, wives, friends,” Coughlan said.

For actors who often spend weeks or months away from home while filming, having loved ones nearby can be difficult to arrange. That made the Malta experience stand out even more.

“It’s a very happy memory, that time,” Coughlan said. “It was lovely.”

Her comments represent one of the more personal public remarks she has made about Dunn since the pair became romantically linked.

Coughlan and Dunn have generally kept their relationship away from the spotlight, even as interest in the couple has increased alongside Coughlan’s growing international fame.

The two were first publicly linked in August 2024, when they were spotted together at the All Points East music festival in London.

Their connection, however, appears to date back at least several months earlier.

In March 2024, Coughlan attended the London world premiere of Dunn’s television series Renegade Nell. Although the two did not walk the red carpet together as a couple, one of Dunn’s costars, Alice Kremelberg, later posted a throwback photograph from the event on Instagram that included Coughlan.

By August, sightings of Coughlan and Dunn together began drawing more attention.

Then, in October 2024, the pair were photographed walking together in London in images that appeared to confirm the romantic nature of their relationship.

The photographs showed Dunn wrapping an arm around Coughlan’s shoulders while the two held hands and intertwined their fingers as they walked.

For fans, the pictures may have appeared like a sweet confirmation of a celebrity romance. For Coughlan, however, the experience felt significantly more uncomfortable.

She later discussed the incident during a December 2025 interview with The Guardian, explaining how invasive it felt to discover that a private evening had been photographed without her knowledge.

Nicola Coughlan and Jake Dunn at All Points East festival at Victoria Park in London, 2024.

Coughlan asked people to imagine spending a normal evening at a pub, walking around afterward, talking and enjoying someone’s company — only to discover days later that photographs of those private moments had been published.

“The violation is immense,” she said.

Her reaction helped explain why Coughlan and Dunn have been so selective about how much of their relationship they share publicly.

Rather than turning their romance into a constant feature of social media or public appearances, they have largely revealed milestones gradually and on their own terms.

That changed slightly in February 2025, when Coughlan made the relationship Instagram official.

The actress publicly acknowledged Dunn on his birthday, marking one of the first times she had directly presented their relationship to followers rather than having it documented by photographers.

Two months later, they reached another milestone together.

In April 2025, Coughlan and Dunn made their official red carpet debut as a couple at the BAFTA Television & Television Craft Awards nominees party in London.

For the event, the pair wore coordinated dark outfits as they appeared publicly together in a more deliberate and controlled setting.

The appearance reflected the careful balance Coughlan seems to maintain between having a public career and preserving a private personal life.

That balancing act has become especially relevant as her profile has risen dramatically over the past several years.

Coughlan first became widely recognized through the acclaimed comedy series Derry Girls, in which she played Clare Devlin.

Her international fame expanded further after she joined Netflix’s period drama Bridgerton as Penelope Featherington.

Her role became even more prominent when Penelope moved to the center of the story, making Coughlan one of the franchise’s most recognizable performers.

Dunn, meanwhile, has continued building his own acting career, including his work on projects such as Renegade Nell and My Brilliant Career.

Their shared profession can create scheduling complications, but Coughlan’s Malta story demonstrates that it can sometimes work in their favor as well.

Because Dunn happened to be between filming commitments, he was able to spend an extended period with Coughlan while she worked on The Magic Faraway Tree.

The upcoming movie is based on the beloved children’s fantasy stories associated with Enid Blyton and features an ensemble cast that includes Coughlan, Garfield and Foy.

For Coughlan, however, her memories of production are apparently tied not only to the film itself but also to the unusual sense of community that developed behind the scenes.

Partners, spouses, children and friends became part of the filming experience, creating an environment that she remembered as particularly joyful.

Dunn’s decision to turn a visit into an extended stay became an important part of that memory.

The moment also offers a rare insight into the practical side of their relationship.

Instead of focusing on dramatic romantic gestures, Coughlan described something much simpler: two actors making use of an unexpected gap in their schedules so they could spend more time together.

That simplicity appears consistent with how the pair have approached their relationship publicly.

Their romance has unfolded slowly through occasional sightings, supportive appearances, one Instagram milestone and selected red carpet events rather than constant public updates.

Coughlan’s comments about Malta therefore stand out because they reveal how meaningful those quieter stretches of time can be.

After initially visiting his girlfriend while she worked, Dunn simply decided to remain there — and Coughlan was more than happy with the arrangement.

For an actress whose filming schedule can take her far from home and loved ones, having her boyfriend nearby for an entire production became something worth remembering.

Nicola Coughlan and Jake Dunn Channel 4’s ‘Big Boys’ Series 3 screening.

As she put it, the experience was “a very happy memory.”

The Magic Faraway Tree is scheduled to arrive in theaters on Friday, Aug. 21, giving audiences a chance to see the project connected to one of the happiest periods Coughlan has recently described — a production filled not only with major stars and fantasy storytelling, but also with partners, families, children and friends enjoying valuable time together behind the scenes.