Nicola Coughlan causes meltdown as she's seen with rumored love-interest with whom she shares a huge age gap

New snaps of Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton have sent Bridgerton fans wild - with some even slamming the famous duo for their age gap .

The acting duo, who have been romantically linked since appearing together in the racy third season of the hit Netflix series, set tongues wagging when they were captured in recent snaps.

It comes just a few months after fans speculated they were going in got a smooch in a TikTok clip . Nicola, 37, and Luke, 31, became household names after starring in one of the most watched Netflix series this year.

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Fans flocked to Twitter to comment on the now deleted pics. One, exaggerating the age gap, said: "13 years age gap for Nicola Coughlan and Jake is gross. 8 years age gap between Luke Newton and Antonia is gross. Both are gross especially with Antonia being 22 when her and Luke first got together and Jake being 24. What the f*** is wrong with these people."

A second said: "Me being 24 and yes I too would pull a Jake Dunn on Nicola Coughlan cuz I’m not letting a rare jewel like her go alright. Like you must be crazy to not want this woman."

A third jumped to Nicola's defense and said: "Nicola Coughlan is an angel who does not deserve even an ounce of the hate anyone has spewed towards her. She uses her platform for good, she’s nothing but kind to fans and has the biggest heart. I love her, your honor. #weloveyounicola."

It's not the first time the duo have ruffled feathers just from being seen together. Back in July, they were in a short clip on TikTok that looked like they were going in for a smooch.

In the video, Newton , who plays Colin Bridgerton , walks up to Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington, and leans toward her. The angle suggests he is going in for a kiss - and many super fans were hoping that was the case.

The caption on the video, which appears to be from their Brazil trip, gave hopeless romantics ammunition. It read: “I thought they were about to kiss. You thought they were about to kiss. I think they thought they were about to kiss.”

Coughlan and Newton were previously forced to shut down rumors they were dating after the internet was awash with theories that their on-screen romance had translated into real life. The duo admitted they found it endearing.

"We think it's really sweet, I think because we truly love each other," Coughlan explained. "He is a really special person in my life, and I got to do this experience with him.

"I'll never get to do something like this again, on this scale. It's so nice having such a lovely friend that I can do all this with."