Nicola Coughlan’s weight loss, explained

You’re superficial — we all are, truly, and that’s okay. Despite our support for equality or women’s rights, at the end of the day, if a woman doesn’t meet our beauty standards, we will, inevitably, begin to criticize her in the back of our minds. Call it patriarchy, or whatever.

Even celebrities, who supposedly dictate what’s trending, aren’t free from this hypocrisy — and Nicola Coughlan knows exactly what it’s like to be judged for her appearance. From the moment she joined the cast of Derry Girls as Clare, it was clear she was a star waiting to be discovered. And discovered she was when Shonda Rhimes cast her as Penelope (well, Lady Whistledown) in Netflix’s Bridgerton.

With her newfound success and an entire season focused on her character, Penelope, Coughlan has inevitably faced criticism for both her weight and her weight loss. It seems there’s no way for her to win, but are we even surprised? On that note, let’s dive into what really happened between seasons.

Did Nicola Coughlan lose weight?

Nicola Coughlan appears to have gradually lost weight over the past couple of years. From the moment we first saw her in Derry Girls, it was clear to anyone that Coughlan didn’t fit Hollywood’s typical weight standards. And yes, I’m referring specifically to her weight, because when it comes to beauty, she might easily be one of the most stunning women alive. However, in recent years, her weight loss has become increasingly more noticeable.

Fans first began praising her for her weight loss between seasons 2 and 3 of Bridgerton, where she appeared slimmer — though one can only hope this wasn’t in response to the harsh criticism from fatphobic Bridgerton fans, who often claimed Coughlan was not attractive enough to star alongside Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton).

According to Pinkvilla, Coughlan has reportedly lost as much as 12 kg (26 pounds) over the past few years. The website, though lacking sources, claims that Coughlan went from weighing 149 lbs (68 kg) to 120 lbs (56 kg). However, we couldn’t find a reliable source to verify this information, so we cannot fully confirm its accuracy.

Although Coughlan may have lost weight — visibly so, at least — she has never spoken negatively about her body or allowed it to hinder her rise to fame. On the contrary. During a press event promoting the new, steamy season of Bridgerton, a journalist backhandedly complimented her for being “brave” for showing her body on screen. Coughlan cheekily responded with “You know, it’s hard, because I think women with my body type, women with perfect breasts — we don’t see ourselves onscreen enough.”

This wasn’t the only time Coughlan had to address the topic of her body. In an interview with Stylist, she revealed that she specifically requested certain, spicy scenes be included in the show. “I specifically asked for certain lines and moments to be included. It felt like the biggest ‘f–k you’ to all the conversation around my body. It was incredibly empowering,” she said.

Sadly, despite her efforts to remain confident, the 37-year-old actress has admitted that, at times, comments do get under her skin. “If you have an opinion about my body, please, please don’t share it with me,” she said in a now-deleted Instagram post from 2022. “Most people are being nice and not trying to be offensive. But I’m just one real-life human being, and it’s really hard to bear the weight of thousands of opinions about how you look being sent directly to you every day.”

Despite her clear defiance of societal standards, some people (and media) still started to treat her as though her weight or body shape interfered with her work as an actress. In response, Coughlan told Tatler that she wants to be known “as an actor” and not as a symbol of the body positivity movement — and understandably so.