Nicola Coughlan Addresses Photoshop Rumors About Bridgerton Season 3

Lady Whistledown might dabble in idle gossip, but Nicola Coughlan isn’t here for it. During an interview with People, published June 13, the Bridgerton Season 3 star addressed the internet “trolls” who claimed editors “photoshopped” Coughlan’s waist in the show’s latest season. Here’s how she hit back at those photoshop rumors.

Apparently, there weren’t any special effects involved — just period piece costumes. “I think if you wear corsetry for long enough, your body really molds to it,” Coughlan told People. “Sometimes they come in a fitting for a fashion designer and they put a corset on me and I'm like, ‘Oh, you can go tight,’ and they go, ‘What do you mean?’ I'm like, 'My body now will go whew.'”

Coughlan continued, explaining, “I saw some trolls. They were like, ‘They photoshopped your waist,’ and I was like, ‘No, they did not.’”

Luke Newton, who starred opposite Coughlan in Season 3, also talked about his character’s costume — specifically, the use of waistcoats. “I don't wear a corset, I don't wear heels, but it really does change your posture, which feels good and it really helps with the character,” he said. “But then as soon as I'm off set, I want to be in the most comfortable outfit.”

Coughlan has previously opened up about seeing “disappointing” comments about her body in a cover interview with Stylist. “There is so much discourse online about how I look, and I don’t think I could ever express how hard that is,” she told the outlet. “It’s insulting because I worked hard on this show; a year of fittings and dance lessons and shooting, I barely saw my family, I gave it my absolute all,” she added.

“And then I start doing press and all people want to talk about is my body? It’s so f*cking disappointing and reductive,” She continued.

Coughlan 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*ck 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*cking hot I looked!’”