Phoebe Dynevor Breaks Her Silence About Regé-Jean Page Leaving Bridgerton

Phoebe Dynevor is finally opening up about the news that her Bridgerton costar, Regé-Jean Page, won't be returning for the hit show's second season. Spoiler alert: She was not as surprised as the rest of us were.

Dynevor and Page won our collective hearts (and set fire to our collective loins) this year as Lady Daphne Bridgerton and Simon, Duke of Hastings, the romantic leads of Bridgerton's sexy first season.

"I had a bit of a heads up, so I knew," the 26-year-old actress said during an interview this week on the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast. "But yeah, I guess it is a spanner. But again, the show centers around the Bridgertons and there are eight books. And I think maybe the fans of the books were more aware of that happening than the fans of the show. I think the fans of the books know that every episode is about a different sibling."

Dynevor also shared a little of what fans can expect from season two—and why the upcoming season's plot makes Page's exit from the Netflix series less of a shock than it might have felt like when the news broke earlier this spring.

"And we're very much passing on the baton to the lovely Jonathan [Bailey], who plays Anthony. And that will be the main storyline of season 2 and the story arc of season 2," Dynevor added, according to Entertainment Tonight. "We were all aware of that. Obviously, it's sad to see [Page] go but I'm looking forward to being reunited with my family."

News of Page's exit from the show broke on April 2, when the official Bridgerton Instagram account shared the news in a statement presented as a note from Lady Whistledown that read:

Page confirmed the news in a tweet, retweeting the Netflix announcement and adding, "Pleasure and a privilege! An honour to be a member of the family - on and off screen, cast, crew and incredible fans - the love is real and will just keep growing.

On Instagram, the actor shared another message about his exit (along with a photo of himself in character as Simon), writing, "The ride of a life time. It's been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to be your Duke. Joining this family—not just on screen, but off screen too. Our incredibly creative and generous cast, crew, outstanding fans—it's all been beyond anything I could have imagined. The love is real and will just keep growing."

"It's a one-season arc. It's going to have a beginning, middle, end—give us a year," Page said of his exit from the series in an interview Variety shortly after the news broke. "[I thought] 'That's interesting,' because then it felt like a limited series. I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit and then the Bridgerton family rolls on."

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