Bridgerton author Julia Quinn shares reassuring message after Regé-Jean Page's departure 😍

Bridgerton author Julia Quinn has reassured fans about the second series of the show, following the news that the handsome Duke of Hastings, aka Simon Basset, aka Regé-Jean Page will not be returning for the upcoming season, which has now begun filming.

Obvs any Bridgerton fan will know that one of the main highlights of the show was Rege's starring role, with the majority of us falling in love with the Duke and being left nothing short of heartbroken now that we know he won't be returning.

All is not lost, however, with Julia taking to her Facebook page to share a rather suave looking image of actor Jonathan Bailey, who we now know and love as the eldest child of the Bridgerton gang, Anthony Bridgerton.

The author wrote, 'I know we're all in mourning over Regé-Jean Page's departure from Bridgerton, but may I remind you that we have JONATHAN BAILEY as our leading man next season? VISCOUNT ME IN!' (sic).

The next series is set to heavily revolve around Anthony Bridgerton, with Lady Whistledown (ie. the most reliable source when it comes to such matters) confirming on Bridgerton's official Instagram, 'Lord Anthony Bridgerton intends to dominate the social season. I will have my pen ready to report on any and all of his romantic actives.'

Anthony's quirky younger sister, Eloise, will also have her time to shine in the upcoming season, with actress Claudia Jessie, who plays the down-to-earth Bridgerton, opening up about her excitement for how the next series will unfold, admitting Eloise is set to "shake things up".

So it seems we should be preparing for quite the season, and although there's no official release date for series 2 just yet, we expect it may arrive at the end of 2021.

Check out some more TV shows that we cannot wait for the return of this year...

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