Luke Thompson portrays the dashing Benedict Bridgerton in the hit Netflix drama Bridgerton, and with Penelope and Colin’s fairytale romance reaching its happily ever after in season three, fans are expecting that Benedict will be the new heartthrob of season four - but what is happening in his personal life in real life?
Who is Luke dating?
Luke, 35, is reportedly dating Harriet Cains, who portrays Philipa Featherington in the show. The pair were photographed looking loved-up at the Vanity Fair Rising Stars party in January 2024.
While the photos could still suggest that the pair are just good friends, Harriet also fuelled the reports in 2021 after sharing a snap of Luke’s face surrounded by heart emojis, commenting: “My favourite Luke soz @lukenewtonuk."
Luke previously opened up about his sexuality in an interview with Time Out. Speaking about playing a gay character in A Little Life’s play adaptation, he said: “Why do you have to set the record straight? Let people think what they want to think… It’s a complicated debate. There’s value in the authenticity [of having an LGBTQ+ actor in a role]. But also, the whole point of acting is that you step into someone else’s experience.”
He continued: “Theatre is a conversation. It’s meant to be provocative and get people talking. It’s about putting a problem on a table and asking, ‘What do we think about this?’ The more heated the better, because that’s its purpose.”
Who else is the Netflix cast is dating one another?
Luke and Harriet aren’t the only pair to spark dating rumours, as Harriet’s on-screen sister Bessie Carter, who plays Prudence Featherington, is dating Sam Phillips. Sam portrayed one of Penelope’s potential suitors Lord Debling in season three - and we’re pleased to report that Sam had more luck in finding love than Debling in the show! The pair first met on the Bridgerton set back in 2022, and are now living together.
It has also been rumoured that Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton might be dating, despite other reports that Luke is seeing model and dancer Antonia Roumelioti. Speaking about the rumours, Nicola told Extra TV: “We think it's really sweet because we truly love each other. He is a really special person in my life, and I got to do this experience with him.
“I'll never get to do something like this again, on this scale, like are you kidding me? We're here in New York City having our premiere, so it's so nice having such a lovely friend that I can do all of this with.”