After spending Bridgerton season two watching Anthony Bridgerton fall madly in love with Kate Sharma (while trying to marry her sister, but it’s a long story), it seems bizarre to go back to season one and remember that he was already head over heels in love with Siena Rosso, a working-class opera singer. So what happened to his first love? Find out here…
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Despite being very much in love with Siena in season one, the pair eventually break up in the finale, despite Anthony hoping to officially court Siena in high society despite her being a lower class than him, which would result in a scandal. However, Siena ends up seeing another man, telling Anthony that he would try to turn her into something she isn’t.
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It is this rejection that seems to propel Anthony in deciding to find a wife in high society, and alludes to his broken heart as the reason he was determined to find a suitable match without love. In the season one finale, he says: "I have finally determined the difficulty... love itself. Removing it from all romantic relations shall make me all the better for it. No more distractions from responsibility or being waylaid from the sensible path."
Siena dumps Anthony in season one
In season two, Siena is only very briefly mentioned in the opening episode, as Anthony burns a program for one of Siena’s upcoming shows in the fire.
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Anthony eventually finds love with Kate
The storyline also appears to divert from Siena being the reason behind Anthony’s reluctance to marry for love, but instead focuses on his trauma after the death of his father, and the earth-shattering effect it had on his mother, Violet, who struggled to cope following her husband’s death, leading Anthony to suddenly become in charge of the household and his younger seven siblings.
In real life, the actress who plays Siena, Sabrina Bartlett, went on to star in The Larkins season one but dropped out ahead of season two due to a scheduling conflict.
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