Inside Claudia Jessie’s life off-screen when she’s not playing our fav Bridgerton girl Eloise

Claudia Jessie plays one of our favourite characters on TV right now. We’re all obsessed with Bridgerton, and we all adore Eloise. However, whilst we all love to get to know the cast members outside of Regency London, Claudia is much more private in her personal life.

But, since being on the Netflix series she has shared some insight into her life now, who she is dating, and more about what life was like for her growing up. Here’s everything you need to know.

Claudia Jessie is 34 and from Birmingham

via NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Claudia Jessie is 34, and grew up in Moseley, Birmingham. Claudia had a different childhood to most – she grew up on a houseboat! In 2018 she reportedly bought herself another barge to live on with her then boyfriend, so she has continued the boat life into adulthood.

She actually had no formal acting training before her first role. “My family were so poor,” she told the Belfast Telegraph in September 2018. “My mum would clean houses to maybe get me to a ballet class, bless her. My dad — when he was still about — I don’t think he worked. We were fighting off bailiffs at the door.” She was also homeschooled by her mother.

Before she found her way in acting, Eloise spent some time living on her aunt’s sofa and doing short-term jobs to keep herself going. She worked in pubs, became a dog walker and did promo work for Capital FM.

She’s a Buddhist and part of Extinction Rebellion

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Claudia Jessie has said previously she has suffered from panic attacks and extreme anxiety since childhood, before being diagnosed with depersonalisation disorder (DPD). To overcome some of her feelings, Claudia tried chanting and mediation, and now practices Nichiren Buddhism.

Claudia has also said before that she’s vegan, and is part of environmental activism group, Extinction Rebellion. She told Evening Standard she “100 per cent” thinks Eloise would have been a member too. “She’d be getting arrested as soon as she could,” she said. “I reckon my family must be like, ‘How does it feel playing yourself?’ Like I am working guys, I swear, I’m doing something.”

via StillMoving.Net for Netflix/Shutterstock

Claudia Jessie is currently in a relationship with a Bridgerton casting director

In a great crossover, Claudia is dating someone from the Bridgerton crew – who she met when she was trying out for her role on the show.

Claudia is currently dating Bridgerton casting director, Cole Edwards. Speaking to The Guardian about her audition for Eloise, she said: “I got a job and a fella on the same day. It was a great day for me, wasn’t it?” Iconic.

She doesn’t have social media

You might be wondering why you can’t stalk Claudia on Instagram and admire pictures of her and the rest of the Bridgerton cast on her page like you can with the others – that’s because she doesn’t have social media!

“There are certain things that work for people, and there are certain things that don’t. And for me, my absolute happiness, my truest happiness — I don’t think that would happen on social media,” she told Town & Country in January 2021. “I feel like Bridgerton is the way that I get to reach out to people. Do you know what I mean? My job gets to be expansive and that’s exciting. But I feel like social media’s not for me, and it hasn’t been since forever, really. I’ve taken a breather for years now. It’s going really well.”

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A post shared by Nicola Coughlan (@nicolacoughlan)

Claudia is besties with Nicola Coughlan

It’s not just their characters who are close, Claudia Jessie and Penelope actress Nicola Coughlan are besties irl, too. Asked if their relationship off-screen is the same as the friendship between Eloise and Penelope, Claudia told The Guardian: “Nicola always says it’s the other way around. In Bridgerton, Eloise talks at Penelope a lot of the time; in real life, I’m more introverted and Nicola does most of the chatting.

“We were the first two people cast. I remember seeing our headshots next to each other on a wall and thinking – ‘Cool!’ – because Nicola’s incredible.”

Part one of Bridgerton season three is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Inside the real life dating lives of the Bridgerton cast and who is dating who outside the show

• Nicola Coughlan was once an extra on Made in Chelsea and called the show out for being fake

• Before Bridgerton, Luke Newton was in a cringe boy band backed as the ‘next One Direction’