Tragic Details About Nicola Coughlan

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Whether starring as tightly wound Clare Devlin in nostalgic coming-of-age series "Derry Girls," gossip columnist Penelope Featherington in Shonda Rhimes' period romance "Bridgerton," or agent of chaos Maggie Donovan in the dark dramedy "Big Mood," Nicola Coughlan has brought bundles of joy to the small screen over the past decade. And she's lit up the big screen, too, from her portrayal of Diplomat Barbie in the pink-oriented half of the Barbenheimer phenomenon to her voice role as roarball-playing ostrich Olivia Burke in the animation "GOAT." But sadly, the actor's real life hasn't always been a barrel of laughs.

Indeed, Coughlan, whose transformation has been stunning to see, has faced her fair share of hardships over the years, including the untimely losses of beloved family members and colleagues, mental health battles, and scrutiny about her appearance online — not to mention a domestic accident in which she was nearly crushed by a concrete block. Here's a look at 12 times Coughlan's story took a tragic turn.

In October 2021, just a month after he'd won a Primetime Emmy for his hairstyling work on the 1st season of "Bridgerton," Marc Pilcher tragically died from COVID-19. And Nicola Coughlan, one of the actors who'd sat in his chair while working on the period drama, was left devastated by the news.

"Marc was so passionate about his work and so tremendously talented," the star wrote on Instagram (via Irish Mirror). In her emotive social media tribute, Coughlan — who plays Colin Bridgerton's wife, Penelope, in the Netflix phenomenon — accompanied her words with a carousel of images showcasing some of Pilcher's award-winning work. "It's a tragedy that he's been taken so young when he had so much yet to do."

Pilcher — whose efforts on another period drama, "Mary, Queen of Scots," several years earlier had been recognized with an Academy Award nomination for best makeup and hairstyling — had reportedly been vaccinated against the virus twice and had no reported underlying health conditions. In the same post, Coughlan urged those among her followers who hadn't yet received the vaccination to do so immediately. She concluded, "My heart goes out to his friends and family, especially to his wonderful team. He loved and cared for you all so much, and my heart goes out to you all. Rest in Peace, Marc."

Nicola Coughlan certainly made an impression on her first day filming the costume drama "Bridgerton" — just not the one she would have wanted. Knowing what the "Bridgerton" stars look like in real life will automatically clue you in to how elaborate the costume design is on the show. Thus, it's no surprise that the cast needed to get adjusted to their period costumes. Unfortunately, thanks to a wardrobe malfunction, Coughlan suffered an accident which left one of her co-stars drawing blood.

During an interview on the British TV show "This Morning," Coughlan revealed that the drama began when, noticing her petite stature, the costume-fitting team decided to put her character in heels — a type of footwear she was ill-equipped to wear. "So I was sort of walking along during a scene and then all of a sudden, with my corset and everything, I had no sort of central strength, so I completely toppled over and landed on the ground," she said.

Despite reassuring herself that this was a one-off, Coughlan fell a further two times, and on the final occasion, she was also holding a parasol, which very nearly turned into a lethal weapon. Indeed, the Irishwoman ended up piercing co-star Claudia Jessie — who plays the fifth Bridgerton child, Eloise, in the Netflix hit — in the hand. Despite causing this workplace injury, however, the star insisted that she and her unsuspecting victim still became pals.

Nicola Coughlan has picked up nominations at the SAG and BAFTA Television Awards for her performances in "Bridgerton" and "Big Mood," respectively; plus, she has become an Irish national treasure thanks to her role in "Derry Girls." But the truth about Coughlan is that, even after years and years of toiling on the audition circuit, the actor still finds it hard to believe that she's worthy of such adulation.

"I still wonder 'How did this happen?'" Coughlan, who was scared she might initially lose one of her most famous roles, candidly told RTÉ Guide in 2022 of her battle with imposter syndrome. "Even at the BAFTAs, I was wondering, 'Why am I in the room with all these people?' So I do feel like I've won a competition, but that's something that a lot of people in the industry grapple with, women more than men, I believe."

However, Coughlan, whose talents have also been recognized by everything from the Glamour Women of the Year Awards to the Time100 Next list, acknowledges that her self-doubts have also helped her to appreciate the good times. "You know what it's like not to have all those things and you know how hard you've worked to get there," she said. "So for me to even be on a set is a privilege, to get an audition is a privilege because for years I couldn't even get in an audition room."

Thanks to her roles in hit shows "Bridgerton" and "Derry Girls," and box office hits "Barbie" and "GOAT," Nicola Coughlan's net worth is an astounding $2 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. But even now that she's rich beyond her wildest dreams, the Ireland native still struggles to comprehend that she's no longer poor.

"That fear of having nothing is still there," Coughlan told RTÉ while also recalling her pre-fame time trying to establish a career. "I was in debt with student loans, I was working minimum wage and the rent was so high." In fact, the star admitted that she'd only just started managing to treat herself to her coffee of choice without suffering a panic attack.

Coughlan also spoke about her economic struggles in a 2020 interview with Stylist, pointing out that, because of their generational wealth, many people in the industry have things much easier. "I had to pay my way," she added. "Money doesn't make you happy, but many people don't know how awful financial stress is. You can't think about anything else."

Nicola Coughlan discovered the hard way that starring in a pop-culture phenomenon has many costs, most notably a complete and utter lack of privacy. Indeed, following her casting as Penelope in "Bridgerton," Coughlan found her personal life repeatedly scrutinized and invaded by both the press and the show's more fervent fans.

In an interview with The Guardian, an emotional Coughlan discussed how the constant interest in her life away from the cameras — particularly her relationship with fellow actor Jake Dunn — had affected her. "Imagine if you had an evening at the pub and then you walked around, talking, having a lovely time. And a few days later, you see pictures of that," she said. "The violation is immense."

Coughlan, who'd previously been linked to her "Bridgerton" co-star Luke Newton, revealed she's been left particularly spooked on the occasions when made aware she's being followed in real time. "That level of attention is hugely intense," she confessed. "And I don't know how well that suits me. The intensity gave me horrific anxiety. I was like, 'I really want to go away.'" The BAFTA nominee, who became visibly tearful during her chat with the outlet, also expressed concern that she may be in physical danger due to her outspokenness on various political issues. "Work is one world and my private life is another," said Coughlan. "When one started collapsing into the other, I thought, 'Oh my God, what have I done?'"

Nicola Coughlan's life changed forever in 2017 when she was cast as anxiety-ridden do-gooder Clare Devlin in the '90s-based sitcom "Derry Girls." But the news proved to be bittersweet, for the actor finally got her big break less than a week after the death of her father.

"He sadly didn't know I ever got it. It's sad he never got to see it ... " Coughlan told host Laura Whitmore on her podcast "Castaway." " ... The first time we were at the BAFTAs and we won these incredible awards, you know, there's always that tinge of sadness he's not here to see it," she added, referring to the comedy's early accolades. But it's not just the showbiz side of life that the Irishwoman wishes her pop was around to see.

"Even silly things, like I've got these three little plants in my apartment that I've been keeping alive, and I'm like, I'd love to just tell my dad ... he was really green-fingered," Coughlan added. "At the end of the day, what most of us want is to just make our parents proud." The star, who has two older siblings, also spoke of how supportive both her mother and father were of her theatrical ambitions, even if they couldn't exactly relate. "My dad, having been in the army his whole life since he was like 19, I think he just thought, 'What the hell?'" she said. "I mean, they'd always known, obviously, that I'd been really into ... but I think to then go to rely on it as your career is a bit terrifying."

In stark contrast to the first decade of her career, when she often went years without acting work, Nicola Coughlan suddenly found herself starring in two hit shows simultaneously. But simultaneously playing the Featheringtons' youngest daughter in the period piece "Bridgerton," and a bipolar playwright in the mental health dramedy "Big Mood," inevitably took its toll.

"I'd film one show during the week, the other on the weekend," Coughlan said in an interview with AP Entertainment, before admitting that she'd often burst into tears out of sheer exhaustion. "And I would be saying, 'There's nothing actually wrong with me. I am just very tired.' I had to learn my 'Big Mood' script on the 'Bridgerton' set."

Coughlan, who that same year also somehow found the time to appear as rebel leader Humble Joan in the Dark Ages comedy "Seize Them!," acknowledged that the two shows' contrasting tones only made her balancing act even harder: "'Big Mood' has quite naturalistic dialogue, and then 'Bridgerton' is very stylized. And we'd film one in West London and one in East London. It was just bonkers. It was bonkers."

Nicola Coughlan had an incredibly lucky escape in 2019 when a 15-pound block of concrete smashed its way through the ceiling of her rented apartment's bathroom, hitting the shower just moments after she'd finished using it. And the star took to social media to both share her scare and shame the leasing agency for their lack of concern.

"Portico are now refusing to send an engineer in to check that the building is structurally sound before I go back in and told me if I want one I have to pay for it," Coughlan tweeted (via The Telegraph). The firm in question subsequently argued that the property had, in fact, been inspected by a senior staff member, who also removed all the debris. However, the actor fired back that this "handyman" visit wasn't satisfactory.

"He is not a qualified engineer and therefore not qualified to tell me if the property is safe or not," Coughlan wrote after having watched the handyman in question carry out his work. She went on to describe Portico's response as a "slap in the face." The "Derry Girls" star, who's since been able to buy her own home, also stated that the incident — said to have stemmed from a plumbing issue in the apartment above — left her too terrified to stay there.

In 2025, Nicola Coughlan was nominated for best female performance in a comedy at the BAFTA Awards, thanks to her stunning portrayal as a bipolar playwright named Maggie in "Big Mood." And as she's revealed in several interviews, the actor has experienced her own struggles with mental health, too.

"I was so depressed, and it was so hard," Coughlan told Glamour about the fallow period in her career when it looked as though she may have to abandon her acting dreams. "It was a very slow recuperation from that." In fact, the star, who'd eventually become an ever-present on our screens, admitted that she found it hard to summon the motivation to get out of bed.

"I felt like I failed at everything," Coughlan added while trying to hold back the tears. "I felt like I had nothing, and I had let my family down." The "Harlots" star credits her nearest and dearest for helping her to get out of her funk, noting how her older sister would physically haul her out of bed to get some fresh air. "Stuff like that gave me a sense of purpose again and that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel," she said.

Coming-of-age-sitcom "Derry Girls" premiered in January 2018, a period in which the #MeToo movement was also gathering pace. And shortly before making her debut as the gang's most studious member, Clare Devlin, Nicola Coughlan opened up about her own unsettling experience in the industry.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Coughlan revealed (via The Irish Post) that as a teenager, she'd participated in an acting contest in her hometown of Galway. Unfortunately, one of the judges, a much older and apparently well-respected name within the business, was more interested in her body than her talents. "I had a chat with him before about the competition would entail, he told me if I really wanted to impress him, I should perform naked," the star tweeted.

"I was a kid, but no woman of any age should be spoken to like that by a man in a position of power, ever," Coughlan added before stating that she had plenty more examples where that came from. " ... It's just the tip of the iceberg, but I felt compelled to add my voice to the many brave women who've made themselves heard in the last week."

Nicola Coughlan has repeatedly had to deal with comments about her weight; not just from the usual social media trolls, either. Indeed, several apparently 'respected' journalists have also body-shamed her over the years. One series review from The Spectator seemed to take umbrage with the actor's romantic storyline in "Bridgerton." At one point, it read: "There's nothing wrong with fat — it's hardly a moral shortcoming — but a zest for equality and diversity (and in this case good acting) just isn't enough to make a fat girl who wins the prince remotely plausible."

And at a 3rd season Q&A for the period drama, a male reporter remarked (via Vogue), in a deeply patronizing way, that Coughlan was "very brave" for daring to play such a lust-worthy figure. The Irishwoman, however, fired back, "You know, it is hard because I think women with my body type — women with perfect breasts — we don't get to see ourselves onscreen enough. And I'm very proud as a member of the perfect breasts community. I hope you enjoy seeing them."

This isn't the first time Coughlan has responded to talk of her body. In a 2022 Instagram post (via Just Jared), she implored her fans to stop doing one thing: "Most people are being nice and not trying to be offensive, but I am just one real-life human being, and it's really hard to take the weight of thousands of opinions on how you look being sent directly to you every day."

Knowing what Nicola Coughlan was doing before "Bridgerton," she wouldn't be described as an overnight success. She spent years toiling on the audition circuit after leaving drama school, including three separate attempts to make it in London — all of which ended with her scurrying back home to Galway with her tail between her legs.

Coughlan found the last time she returned to live with her mother and father particularly difficult, as she explained to Glamour: "If I wanted to go for coffee, I needed to ask my parents. I was like, 'I'm 28, I'm too old to have done this!'" Coughlan explained how she began pitying herself and feeling like a downer while around her friends. "I thought if I went out with my friends, I'd be the worthless person in the corner," she said, adding, "but that's such a dangerous way of thinking."

Of course, Coughlan's luck finally changed when, after answering a social media casting call, she bagged a part at the London Orange Tree Theatre's production of "Jess and Joe Forever" — and her star-making turn on "Derry Girls" soon followed. "I couldn't have kept going if I didn't have such an insane love for acting," she explained to Harper's Bazaar. "I knew it was worth fighting for. I know that might sound very trite, but that's just the truth."