Luke Newton has been described as the ‘breakout’ star of the latest season of Netflix period drama Bridgerton.
The 31-year-old, who was born in Sussex, is following in the footsteps of the steamy show’s previous leading men, who became instant heartthrobs after being cast in the Regency romp.
Rege-Jean Page won hearts – and loins – as the Duke of Hastings in the first series, while Jonathan Bailey wooed as Anthony Viscount Bridgerton in the show’s second instalment.
Fans of the show will already be aware of Luke, who appeared as one Colin – of the eight Bridgerton siblings wreaking havoc in 19th century high society – throughout series one and two.
But now, as he has become the leading man, his star is set to rise even further, marking a far cry from the boyband flop that marked his entry into fame.
Luke Newton started his career in Sussex-based boyband South4, but despite signing a £1million record deal in 2012, the hits never materialised and the members went their separate ways in 2016
The actor got his big break when he was cast in Netflix’s Regency drama Bridgerton, as Colin Bridgerton (pictured here with his co-star Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington)
Newton originally auditioned for the part of the Duke, losing out to Rege-Jean Page, but it looks like season three is finally his time to shine, as Colin’s racy love life, including an ongoing romance with Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), will serve as this season’s major plot thread.
The third instalment will be based on the fourth book in the series, called Romancing Mister Bridgerton, and will follow the budding romance between Penelope and Colin.
And if Newton, who trained at the London School of Musical Theatre, is to follow the post-Bridgerton path of other leading men, he could likely end up in Hollywood, with both Page and Bailey enjoying stellar career opportunities since hanging up their britches, with both rumoured to in the frame to play James Bond.
Newton appears ready for major stardom: the actor has made a string of public appearances in which he looks extremely dapper.
And it makes sense that he is invested in his personal appearance, after all, since the release of the first half of season three in May, his Instagram following has grown from around 1million to 2.2million.
With the second half of the season dropping today (June 13) his social media fan base could explode further.
After all, season three has been described as the raciest of the programme to date (which is no mean feat given some of the steamy scenes in previous series). Some of the most provocative scenes, including a menage a trois and dalliances with ladies of the night, involve Newton’s character.
Landing the sought-after leading role in such a high-profile series marks a high point in Newton’s career, which started in his teens, and has seen its highs and lows.
The actor already has a legion of fans with 2.2million followers on Instagram (pictured at a special screening of Bridgerton in London last night)
Luke appears ready for major stardom, and has made a number of dapper public appearances in recent times (seen at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London, November 2023)
At the beginning of his path to fame, Newton was part of an unsuccessful boyband. And even his acting career has had its share of difficulties, with the actor openly talking about how his childhood diagnosis of ADHD and dyslexia has made learning scripts his ‘worst nightmare’.
Newton’s pop career initially looked promising when his group South4 (described as ‘Sussex’s answer to One Direction’) launched in 2012 with the band signing a £1million record deal.
However, some four years later, the members went their separate ways after failing to make their mark on the world of music, despite their attention-grabbing strap line (‘Four lads in desperate need of some Cougar attention’) and plenty of promo, including the boys stripping off with just a union jack to cover their modesty.
Just a year later, Newton was cast in Disney show The Lodge.
Described as Britain’s answer to High School Musical, the show, which was filmed in Northern Ireland, starred young actors from across the British Isles.
It is thought that Newton dated co-star Sophie Simnett, who played Skye in the series, for two years, though the couple never went public.
From there, Newton started picking up more acting jobs, treading the boards in the West End with a role in The Book of Mormon.
His TV appearances included a star turn in teen drama The Cut on BBC2 and two episodes of BBC soap Doctors, before Bridgerton came calling in 2020.
After the breakdown of South4, Newton starred as Ben Evans in the 2016 Disney Channel musical series, which ran until 2017
Although neither confirmed the relationship, Luke is said to have enjoyed a two-year romance while in his early twenties with his The Lodge co-star Sophie Simnett
After reportedly romancing his The Lodge co-star Sophie Simnett, Newton began dating West End star Jade Louise Davies, sister of Love Island star Amber in 2019.
Theatre actress Jade has trodden the boards in prestigious productions like Les Miserables and Phantom Of The Opera and was also a member of the choir The Welsh Of The West End which appeared on Britain’s Got Talent.
The couple, who dated for four years, were a regular fixture at the Bridgerton premieres.
And Jade appeared to be a supportive and positive girlfriend, at one point posting a video on Instagram of the pair kissing, writing: ‘It’s your time. And no one deserves it more. I’ll be with you every step of the way.’
However, it’s thought they split in early 2023, with a source last year telling The Sun that time had been a factor in their decision to break up.
Luke dated theatre actress Jade Louise Davies (both pictured) for four years before the couple split in early 2023
The source said: ‘Luke and Jade drifted apart as they could not find time in their busy schedules to invest in their relationship.’
It’s believed that Newton is currently single, although there was speculation that a profile for the actor had been spotted on celebrity dating app Raya.
While he may not have a partner at the moment, Newton has a close bond with his parents – who are now divorced – and his younger sister, Lauren, who all hail from Sussex.
The family experienced tragedy in 2021, when the actor lost his grandfather Ken to Covid, following a family Christmas together, after which, many of the family members fell ill with the virus.
Bridgerton has been Newton’s big break, despite originally auditioning for – and losing out on – the role of Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings.
He obviously caught the eye of producers, who cast him in the role of Colin. And while his appearances in the first two series of the programme were limited, season three is his chance to shine as a leading player.
The series’ focus on Colin means he is likely to gain worldwide fame, alongside Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan, who plays his love interest Lady Penelope Featherington (and also appeared in series one and two).
This will no doubt be bolstered by his appearance in the film adaption of Wicked, which also stars Ariana Grande and will be released in November.
Ahead of the launch of the first part of the season in May, Nicola spoke to Entertainment Weekly about what fans could expect from the series.
She said: ‘We did break a piece of furniture while doing one scene. It’s a little bit like a stunt in which they’re like, “Okay, we’re gonna do this, this, and this”.
Season three of Bridgerton (pictured) is said to be even racier than the previous two series (pictured L-R: Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton)
According to Nicola Coughlan (pictured, right) who plays Lady Penelope Featherington, creating the series was ‘fun’
‘But then they gave us freedom and we had a lot of say in how we did those scenes and what we wanted to do. That makes you feel quite empowered.
‘So we felt super. They were actually really enjoyable. I didn’t think they would be. It was fun.’
A fourth series of Bridgerton, which is based on the series of romantic novels by American author Julia Quinn, has already been announced.
Jonathan Bailey will also reprise his role as Anthony, Claudia Jessie is back as Eloise, Luke Thompson as Benedict and Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton.
Season three of Bridgerton is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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