Bridgerton's Simone Ashley admits she suffered 'a lot of anxiety' after soaring to global fame and teases she will open up about her 'heartbreak' in 'beautiful and messy' debut album
The actress, 30, first rose to fame after starring in Sex Education but then soared to global stardom playing Kathani 'Kate' Bridgerton in the smash hit Netflix series.
Gracing Harper's Bazaar's digital cover, Simone looked sensational in an array of chic looks, including an oversized baby pink dressing gown and a white halterneck draped gown with a thigh-high split and a denim corset.
And in an accompanying interview, Simone got candid about how being catapulted into the public eye affected her mental wellbeing.
Simone revealed she was left with such bad anxiety that she would often avoid leaving the house so she didn't risk being recognised.
She said: 'When Bridgerton came out, those were some of the best years of my life, but I also had a lot of anxiety.
The actress, 30, plays Kathani 'Kate' Bridgerton in the Netflix series but her rise to fame first came after her appearance in Sex Education
'I was coming to terms with what I wanted and what I didn't, learning lessons about what really matters to me, taming my ego, listening to my heart… Life has changed and there are certain things I can and can't do now.
'There was a time when I didn't leave the house often because I was afraid of being recognised.
'But it's a journey and I've reached a point where I just don't care as much.'
Simone went on to discuss how her heartbreak after her recent break-up boyfriend of three years Constantin 'Tino' Klein helped fuel her upcoming album.
She said: 'It's going to be somewhat confessional… and beautiful and messy. That idealistic expectation of being single and having a completely clean start is not what I have been pursuing.
'Good songs don't come from times when my life is regimented and predictable. They come when I am feeling vitality, and usually you either feel that way when your heart's broken, or you're euphoric.
'This work has been an amazing channel to put all those feelings into.'
Rather than the classic acting route of going to drama school and securing an agent, Simone bravely decided to move to LA at the age of 18.
'It was quite reckless of me,' she said. 'There wasn't that safety bubble of graduating from drama school, getting an agent, doing it the normal way. I was really scrappy.
'Since I was little, if I wanted something, I would do anything I could to get it. So, I took some modelling jobs to pay the bills and got into acting through that.'
Simone added: 'You can't have a plan B – you're either all in or not. It's like a relationship. If you do have a plan B, it's probably not going to work out.'
It comes after Simone turned out for the European premiere, despite being cut from the Brad Pitt-fronted film.
The star was dropped from the final version of the movie.
Despite the career blow, Simone oozed class as she walked the glamorous red carpet in Leicester Square.
Turning heads in a metallic-like gold ensemble, the star wore a structured silhouette dress with a high neckline and a dramatic peplum at the waist.
Simone completed her look with High Hera Hoops and Double Love Ring from Skydiamond.
F1's director Joseph Kosinski previously defended axing Simone's lines from the movie in a interview and explained the actress will still appear on screen, though she does not have any lines.
He told People: 'It happens on every film, where you have to shoot more than you can use. There were two or three storylines that ultimately didn't make into the final cut,
'But Simone, she's an incredible talent, incredible actress, incredible singer, and I would love to work with her again.'
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