Bridgerton, TikTok, and thirst traps: The Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton Saga

Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington in "Bridgerton," caused a stir among fans when she unknowingly saved "thirst trap" TikToks featuring her co-star Luke Newton, who plays Colin Bridgerton.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Coughlan, 37, explained that she saved the videos with the intention of sending them to Newton, 31, but was unaware that her actions were visible to others due to her privacy settings.

"I'll save them and send them to him," Coughlan said. "But then I didn't know you could see that you saved them."

Eagle-eyed fans noticed Coughlan's activity, leading to speculation and amusement. Newton himself recalled the incident with a laugh, saying that he and Coughlan "had a giggle" about it.

The timing of this revelation coincided with the release of the first half of "Bridgerton" season 3, which focuses on the blossoming romance between Penelope and Colin. The show's author, Julia Quinn, admitted that developing their relationship for the screen was a challenge due to the characters' established personalities from the books.

"I just think there's a different type of emotional investment coming into it," Quinn, 54, told the New York Post. "It's interesting because when I was writing the books... this book, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, which is actually the fourth in the series, was the hardest one to plot."

The first half of "Bridgerton" season 3 is currently streaming on Netflix, with the remaining episodes set to be released on June 13th.