Simone Ashley

Simone Ashley, born Simone Ashwini Pillai on March 30, 1995, is an English actress. On television, she is widely known for starring as Kate Bridgerton in the Netflix period drama Bridgerton and as Olivia Hanan in the comedy-drama series Sex Education. Her film credits include titles such as Picture This, This Tempting Madness, and The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Raised in Camberley, Surrey, Ashley was born to Indian Tamil-speaking parents, Latha and Gunasekharan Pillai, alongside an older brother, Sean. Growing up in an academic household, she felt drawn to creative fields from an early age, learning classical singing, opera, and piano. Her family later moved to Beaconsfield, where she attended Beaconsfield High School and later Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead. She left school at sixteen, spent time with relatives in Ojai, California, began modeling and auditioning at eighteen, and formally studied acting at Arts Educational Schools in West London.

Ashley's screen career began with television appearances in the CBBC teen series Wolfblood, followed by roles in the drama Guilt and the crime series Broadchurch. She made her feature film debut in 2018 with roles in Boogie Man and Kill Ben Lyk. Between 2019 and 2021, she gained broader visibility through her recurring role in Sex Education, while also appearing in the 2020 psychological thriller miniseries The Sister.

In February 2021, Ashley secured her breakthrough role as Kate Sharma, the female lead in the second season of Bridgerton, which premiered in March 2022. She returned to portray the character in the show's third season. Following this success, she played Indira in the 2023 live-action adaptation of Disney's The Little Mermaid, and secured starring roles as Pia in the romantic comedy Picture This and Mia in the psychological thriller This Tempting Madness.

Alongside her screen work, Ashley expanded into music and commercial partnerships. She became a brand spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris in May 2024 and recorded music with producer Fraser T. Smith, culminating in the release of her debut EP, Songs I Wrote In New York, in April 2026.

Ashley's work has earned various industry accolades, including the Golden Nymph Award for Most Promising Talent at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival in 2024. She has been featured on listings such as Variety's Brits to Watch, Forbes 30 Under 30, Time 100 Next, and appeared on multiple British Vogue covers. Her additional film projects include casting in F1, the A24 comedy Peaked, and the musical romance film Falling.