Say it ain’t so — Simon the Duke and Daphne Bridgerton are not dating IRL, but we can dream! Bridgerton stars Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor denied rumors that they have been connecting romantically off-screen in January.
“I think everything you need to know is on camera,” the 31-year-old heartthrob told Access Online during an interview with his 25-year-old costar. “That’s why we presented it so beautifully for you. And all the sparks that flew came out of the beautiful scripts that we were handed. So I think the sparks and words from the scripted material are more than enough.”
When the interviewers joked the on-screen couple — who were participating in the chat from two different locations via video chat — were actually in the same place but trying to hide it, Regé-Jean took the joke a step further. “We’re playing footsie under here!” he laughed alongside his castmate.
In May, Phoebe spoke out about the sexual aspect of her and Regé-Jean’s characters’ progression throughout season 1 during a panel discussion for Deadline. “Their sexual evolution was very important to the storyline and something me, [showrunner Chris Van Dusen], Regé and everyone involved really wanted to tell truthfully and in a way that was safe for everyone,” she explained at the time.
Manchester native Phoebe is currently dating SNL star Pete Davidson, with whom she sparked romance rumors in March when they were spotted together in England. She previously dated recruitment executive Simon Merrill in 2017. After their split, she started seeing Reign star Sean Teale. It is unclear when they broke up, but he began posting pics with new girlfriend Jelly Gould on Instagram in July 2018. Sean was last seen on Jelly’s page in April 2020.
As for the British-Zimbabwean heartthrob, he is seemingly single at the moment. He was briefly linked to athlete Emily Brown in February when they were photographed hugging on the streets of London, according to the Daily Mail. However, he keeps his personal life private and has yet to post any photos or videos of a potential love interest on his social media accounts. The profiles seem to only be utilized to promote his upcoming TV and film projects. As for his past loves, those relationships are a mystery as well.
Despite viewers falling in love with both Simon and Daphne, Regé-Jean made it clear he and his character are not the same person. “It’s a huge compliment to know that people trust me with characters that they want an audience to fall in love with … But that person on screen isn’t me,” the For the People alum told The I in late December 2020. “The idea of Prince Charming is wonderful, so long as you can figure out what’s actually charming to us now.”