Bridgerton fans left in awe over Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton’s friendship as they hold hands on the red carpet at the part two premiere

Bridgerton fans were wowed by Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton’s friendship on Wednesday as they graced the red carpet for the premiere of part two in London.

Nicola, 37, who plays Penelope Featherington, and Luke, 31, who plays Colin Bridgerton, ditched their period gowns for more contemporary ensembles.

But when they joined their glitzy cast hand-in-hand, the show’s viewers couldn’t help but admire their sweet friendship.

In a sweet clip, Nicola and Luke were seen sitting close to each other as they laughed and looked into each other’s eyes as they posed for a series of photos.

And fans rushed to the comments section to say how much they loved it.

One user wrote: ‘Hand in handssssss’

‘Obsesseddddd’

‘Nicola and Luke both looked beautiful tonight!! I’m so excited to finally see part 2 tomorrow, but also sad that the promo ends.

‘It was so much fun watching the interviews with Luke and Nicola, with their fun and adorable moments. I’ll miss them.’

‘THE POWER! Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton on the #Bridgerton red carpet in London.’

‘Nicola and Luke look damn gorgeous in these looks!’

‘They did it, the whole world loves you Nicola and Luke’

At the premiere, Nicola turned heads when she arrived in a pink, off-the-shoulder dress encrusted with sequins and intricate beading.

The figure-hugging number hugged her curves and showed off a glimpse of her cleavage, while it featured floral lace detailing on the neckline.

The Derry Girls star gave her ensemble even more dramatic flair with a lace headpiece with a long tulle veil that trailed behind her on the red carpet.

She wore a pair of burgundy velvet evening gloves for extra glamour, and sported an Artists for Ceasefire pin – a creative-led initiative demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

Nicola posed up a storm for the cameras before giving her co-star Luke Newton a warm hug as the on-screen couple stood hand in hand on the red carpet.

Luke also pulled out all the stops for the event and put on a very fashionable presentation in a black woven co-ord set.

He wore a futuristic blazer-style jacket, with pockets and zippers and decorated with embroidered flowers on the shoulders and sleeves.

He paired it with matching oversized pants and went shirtless underneath, giving a glimpse of his toned chest.

Luke completed his dashing look with artfully gelled hair and a pair of shiny black boots, adorned with more silver flowers.

Season three of Bridgerton dropped last month, with eager fans wasting no time in settling in and devouring the latest antics of the Regency-era romantics.

And the series seems to be back better than ever, as according to What’s On Netflix it racked up a whopping 45.1 million views within just four days of its worldwide release on Netflix.

After the romp came under fire for its lack of steamy scenes in the second series, the first four episodes of series three treated viewers to at least six minutes of kissing, sex, threesomes and lesbian lovemaking.

But after being promised that this season would be the most exciting yet, fans still had to wait until the closing moments of part one for the central love story to really take off.

Series three focuses on the long-awaited romance between Penelope and Colin, but the storyline of the best friends realizing their true feelings proves to be a slow burner.

Part one ends on a steamy cliffhanger as after being unable to think of anyone else, Colin finally declares his love for Penelope in a carriage after Lord Debling left her heartbroken.

During the meeting at the end of the fourth episode, Penelope admits that she would “really like to be more than friends” with Colin, and the pair eventually kissed, after which they shared a pretty steamy scene together.

But just as they get in, they arrive at the Bridgerton house, and after Colin fixes Penelope’s dress and hair, he steps out of the carriage and extends his hand to Penelope to ask if she is coming with him.

The show was then left on a cliffhanger, as Colin hit fans with the iconic line from the Romancing Mister Bridgerton novel: “For God’s sake, Penelope Featherington, are you going to marry me or not?”

The second half of Bridgerton’s highly anticipated third season was released on Thursday, June 13 at 8am.

Fans are gagging to see what happens next in Penelope and Colin’s love story.

Viewers can expect things to get even more heated between the two, with Nicola and Luke previously revealing that they had filmed so many romps that by the end they felt comfortable lounging together naked between takes.