Who is Simone Ashley? All about the actress who plays Kate Sharma in Netflix's 'Bridgerton'

Lady Whistledown is here with a piece of exciting news about Bridgerton. Actress Simone Ashley will be joining the cast as Kate Sharma in Season 2, where she will play the romantic interest of Anthony Bridgerton (played by Jonathan Bailey).

After witnessing a steamy yet fairy tale romance between Simon, the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), and Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), the Netflix series will focus on Anthony and Kate's love story. With Ashley in the cast, the Bridgerton makers continue to break social norms on race.

Speaking about the brewing romance on the show, creator Chris Van Dusen said:

“I think it’s going to be as sweeping and moving and as beautiful as viewers of the first season have come to expect from the show.”

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Who is Simone Ashley?

Ashley is not a new face on Netflix. She is known for her role as Olivia Hanan in the popular series Sex Education. The 26-year-old has also appeared in projects, including Broadchurch (2013) and Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019).

The Bridgerton newbie is of Indian descent and is raised in a typical Indian household with parents strictly focused on her academics. Good films and classical music surrounded her childhood.

Ashley's Instagram is filled with pictures with her Sex Education co-stars, which show she is close to the actors in real life. Her social media posts depict a successful model, a fun-loving person, and a dog-lover.

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Ashley in 'Bridgerton'

Netflix just dropped the first look of Ashley as Kate on Shondaland's Regency-era period-drama, which is based on Julia Quinn's romance novels. The author even took to Instagram to share the news about finding Bridgerton's Kate.

According to her book, the character's name is Kate Sheffield, and she is described as "a smart, headstrong young woman who suffers no fools—Anthony Bridgerton very much included."

The promo clip certainly highlights the author's description of Kate when she calls out Anthony for his idea of a life partner. Will their romance beat the effect that Simon and Daphne had on Bridgerton's fans in Season 1? Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, fans of the Emmy-nominated series are eagerly awaiting a release date.