‘Bridgerton’ Star Simone Ashley Shares Which Co-star She Loves to Travel With

While the storyline of Bridgerton hones in on society life in London’s Mayfair in the 1800s, the global success of the Netflix show has sent its cast members around the world, exchanging their on-set time together in historic period clothing for chic jet-setting adventures around the world. 

“Every time I’ve traveled with the show, in New York especially, I hang out with Nicola [Couglan],” Simone Ashley told Travel + Leisure at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival in Monaco on Saturday, just two days after the second half of Bridgerton’s third season was released.

It’s an especially meaningful friendship, as the spotlight shifted from Ashley’s character Kate Sharma as the season two love interest to Couglan’s Penelope Featherington in the newest season, with the two actresses sharing a unique bond over shared experiences.

“I consider her a dear friend and I can count her so much,” Ashley also shared with T+L.

And their choice travel activity is simple.

“Anytime we can work it in to just get a quick drink, it means a lot to me,” the 28-year-old said. 

Ashley had just celebrated the third season in London, with the cast, including Coughlan, Luke Newton, Claudia Jesse, Hannah Dodd, and show creator Shonda Rhimes, before traveling to Monaco. Her first visit to the country had been two years ago, when she met her boyfriend, Constantin “Tino” Klein, the CEO of a car race on ice called GP Ice Race. 

“Every time I come here is a moment.” Ashley told T+L Friday on the red carpet of the festival’s opening ceremony, where she received the Golden Nymph award for most promising international newcomer.

Although she admitted she hasn’t had the chance to “experience it properly or had downtime since it’s always crazy here,” she does hope to one day have time to explore it. 

When it comes to her favorite destination, the British actress born to South Indian Tamil parents turns to her cultural roots.

“India is just so beautiful and obviously means so much to me,” she told T+L, specifically naming Kerala and Mumbai. “It’s a place that is meaningful every time I go back there. I don’t really get to that often, which I hope to change.”

Also close to her heart is the Sunshine State. “California’s really dear to my heart since I spent a lot of my childhood there,” she told T+L, referring to visits to see family in Ojai. 

But anywhere in the world she goes, Ashley has a knack for finding her way, she told us.

“I think I try to find beauty in most places that I travel to,” she said.