Guys, Bridgerton’s iconic Footman John is married to a former Disney channel star

Bridgerton’s Footman John is finally having his main character moment. Played by Oli Higginson, the loyal servant has been hovering in the background of the Netflix hit since season one, quietly keeping the Bridgertons’ lives together.

Apart from a brief stint helping Eloise sniff out Lady Whistledown in season two, he hasn’t had much time in the spotlight, until now.

best part of the new #bridgerton season is footman john finally getting more screentime. been obsessing over that man since s1 🫦 pic.twitter.com/3SEdQkeqS2

— nella’s a world champion 🇦🇷 (@shadysmj) January 29, 2026

With season four focusing more heavily on Bridgerton’s working-class characters, we’re paying a lot more attention to the famously handsome footman. And naturally, that’s led people down a rabbit hole about the actor behind the role.

While Footman John hasn’t been given a love story of his own just yet (despite us desperately shipping him with Eloise), Oli Higginson is very much taken in real life. After a deep dive into his personal life, it’s been discovered that he’s married to a former Disney Channel star, and yes, millennials and Gen Z are about to feel ancient.

Higginson’s wife is Meaghan Martin, best known for playing Tess, the iconic blonde antagonist in Disney’s Camp Rock films. You know the one, “Too Cool”, queen of side-eyes and dramatic exits.

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After her Disney days, Meaghan went on to star in 10 Things I Hate About You on ABC Family and Mean Girls 2, before eventually relocating to the UK. She graduated from the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2016 and has since built a career on the British stage. In 2019, she made her professional London debut in The Actor’s Nightmare.

According to a quote shared on their wedding photographer’s website, their meet-cute was straight out of a drama school fever dream. Meaghan revealed: “Oli and I met on a two-week summer acting course. The first class activity we did was hold eye contact with each other for five minutes straight!”

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A post shared by Meaghan Jette Martin (@meaghanjette)

While the exact timeline of their early relationship isn’t totally clear, the pair got engaged and married in 2016, the same year Meaghan graduated. It also turns out she broke a long-standing teenage rule along the way. Speaking to People in 2024, she admitted she once had an “aggressive rule” about never dating actors… which obviously didn’t stick.

The couple don’t just share a marriage, they also work together. In 2019, they launched their own production company, Three Hearts Canvas. Oli later told Tresa Magazine: “I love working with Meaghan, she is my constant inspiration and a huge support to me in my life. We’re lucky that we also work very well together professionally and are constantly bouncing ideas off each other.”

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A post shared by Oli Higginson (@oli_higginson)

They even starred opposite one another in 2023 in Kim Davies’ one-act play Smoke, where their characters meet at a BDSM party (as you do). Speaking to Theatre Weekly, Higginson explained that they’re careful to keep things professional on stage, saying: “I actually keep forgetting that I’m working with my wife… we’ve set clear boundaries and try not to bring our own relationship history into the workspace.”

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Featured image credit: Netflix