Will Penelope Lose Weight in Bridgerton Season 3?

In the highly anticipated third installment of Netflix's Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton will reprise their roles as Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton, who are set to be the main romantic couple of the new season.

But while fans are on the edge of their seats waiting for the story of Julia Quinn's Romancing Mister Bridgerton to be adapted for the screen, there is just one issue that's really bothering them.

The thing is, in the book, Penelope is a plus-size character and undergoes a major transformation by the time her romance with Colin begins. The fact that she has lost two stone (28 pounds) is mentioned a number of times in the books, and this change in the character's appearance seems to be very significant to the plot, as it makes Colin see Penelope as a romantic interest.

Naturally, fans of the Netflix series are worried that Penelope will undergo the same transformation in the adaptation. Such a development would really go against the series' inclusive nature and send the wrong message to the audience, suggesting that the character isn't lovable until she is thin.

So will the Bridgerton producers make Nicola Coughlan lose weight for her role in Season 3? Fortunately, no.

'We think that Penelope is beautiful,' Jess Brownell, the Bridgerton editor-writer-producer, told Variety. 'I don't think [weight loss is] really a part of her story. Her being a wallflower in our show I think is about her level of confidence more than it is about her outward appearance.'

Judging from this statement and the first look at Penelope in Season 3, the character will definitely have a glow-up — but it will not be related to her weight.

Penelope's outfits and hairstyles in Seasons 1 and 2 were generally ill-fitting and unflattering. Her yellow dresses were cut higher at the bust to make the character look larger and more frumpy. As it turns out, this was a clever, forward-thinking move, as now all that the Bridgerton costume team need to do is bring out Nicola Coughlan's natural beauty by lowering her waist, choosing more flattering colors for her outfits, and getting a better wig. Magic!

As these sneak pics show, Penelope looks astonishing in the third season and is bound to steal not only Colin's heart but also the hearts of millions of viewers.

Source: Variety.