Simone Ashley has said “haters are going to hate” after her co-star came up against body-shaming comments.
Nicola Coughlan, 37, who plays the role of Penelope Featherington on the popular Netflix period drama Bridgerton, found herself at the centre of attention following a recent six-minute sex scene which has since gone viral.
The raunchy snippet that’s been catching attention sees Nicola lay herself bare as her alter-ego, stripping naked and baring her “perfect breasts” on screen. While there has been a lot of praise for the actress, she had to face body-shaming trolls too.
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Nicola’s co-star Simone Ashley, who plays Lady Kathani ‘Kate’ Bridgerton on the fan-favourite, defiantly defended her co-star, explaining that she is doing well in spite of all the noise from internet haters.
Simone attended the Monte-Carlo Television Festival on June 15 where she spoke with the publication People to address the on-going criticism. She said: “Yeah, the haters are going to hate, and I think we can all relate to that, but I really don’t think that she’s allowing that to bother her.”
The on-screen star went on to praise her talented colleague, explaining she had much more to give and “fruitful career” ahead. Simone added: “I really believe in her, as the world does as well, I think Nicola is just absolutely flying.”
In the same conversation, the lead actress, who is starring in This Tempting Madness and Picture, also hailed her peer as “a gorgeous, strong, confident, intelligent woman”.
“Seeing her do this press tour and spread so much joy and inspiration to everyone – especially women – all over the world. And I’m inspired by her as well,” added Simone.
It’s also not the first time Simone has offered up support for Nicola. According to People the Little Mermaid actress had revealed to them that she and her co-star Jonathan Bailey offered assistance to Nicola and Luke Newton (who plays Colin Bridgerton) as they stepped into the lead roles on the series.
Simone previously explained: “Me and Nicola would check in on each other. She is such an inspiration to me and I learned so much from her, and there were times she was giving me advice.”
Meanwhile, Nicola found conjured up a lot of support after she shrugged off a passive-aggressive comment about her body type during a press conference in Dublin, Ireland. Her witty and clever response has since been praised across the globe.
During the Q&A session Nicola had been told that she had been “very brave” for stripping off and baring all on screen. To which she batted back: “You know, it is hard, ’cause I think women with my body type, women with perfect breasts.”
She continued. “We do not get to see ourselves onscreen enough. I am a proud member of the perfect breasts community, and I hope you enjoy seeing them.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
