When it comes to Bridgerton, the costumes (along with a certain spoon-licking duke) are a big part of what keeps us so hooked – but it turns out that wearing such restrictive garments come with a serious downside for the actors, says Simone Ashley.
The actor, who plays Kate Sharma in the upcoming second series of the hit Netflix show and who also had a star turn in Sex Education, recently opened up about how wearing a corset "changed" her body, and how she was taken aback by how tightly laced in she was, even feeling unwell at some points.
While speaking to Buzzfeed, Simone said that she couldn't lace up her shoes whilst in the historically accurate corset, given it was so tight. She continued on to say that it meant she wasn't able to comfortably eat as much as she'd like either, "On my first day, I was like, 'OK, first day as a leading lady, got to eat lots of food, be really energised.' So, I had this massive portion of salmon and that's when I needed to be sick, basically because I was wearing the corset."
Simone went on to add that the corset changed her body temporarily too – something other actors have commented on in the past, saying that they've found it difficult to breathe freely whilst wearing one.
"I realised when you wear the corset, you just don’t eat," the actor explained. "It changes your body. I had a smaller waist very momentarily. Then the minute you stop wearing it, you're just back to how your body is. I had a lot of pain with the corset, too, I think I tore my shoulder at one point!" Ouch, ouch and ouch again.
Anyone else feeling super grateful not to have a corset as part of their work 'uniform'?
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
