Bella Maclean Stuns on ELLE UK Cover!

Bella Maclean was the picture of a classic English rose as she posed in a stunning cover shoot for ELLE UK and opened up on her breakout role in bonkbuster series, Rivals.

The actress, 28, showcased her striking good looks in the ethereal and minimalist photoshoot, modelling flowing cream outfits and sporting a fresh-faced makeup look.

Flaunting her svelte frame in one figure-hugging negligee-inspired dress, she also posed up a storm in a draped backless blouse, raising her arms in the air and beaming against a blue sky backdrop.

Speaking to the publication, Bella chatted about her connection to her character of Taggie O'Hara and her friendship with the Rivals cast, ahead of the hotly-anticipated release of series two this month.

Based on Dame Jilly Cooper's 1988 novel, the comedy-drama debuted on Disney+ in October 2024 and immediately became a huge hit and quickly renewed for a second outing.

The new season will once again surround the bitter TV franchise war of the 80s, while behind the corporate power struggle is all the love and lust, debauchery and emotional duplicity that viewers loved in the first series.

Despite winning rave reviews for her performance in series one, Bella admitted that she feared she would be fired from the show at the time, because her co-stars were constantly making her break into laughter during filming.

Opening up on what it's like behind-the-scenes, she said the cast had formed a close-knit bond and created a really positive atmosphere on the set. 

'I spent so much time laughing on this job that, in the first season, I was worried I'd be fired,' she explained. 

'Taggie is so serious and earnest – she's wonderful to play – but I also have Alex Hassell and Katherine Parkinson and , who all love making me break [character]. 

'When you're on the cusp of laughing all the time, there's an energy that's so fizzy – everyone's chemistry is so strong.'

And despite being younger than most of her co-stars, Bella said she's become very close to Alex Hassell, who plays her onscreen love interest Rupert Campbell-Black, and  - who plays electronics businessman Freddie Jones.

Gushing over her friendship with 'bezzie mate' Alex, Bella revealed how EastEnders star Danny was now her first port of call whenever she needed someone in her corner.

'One of the nicest things about this job is you end up with friends across completely different ages and backgrounds who you would never normally meet,' she said. 'Alex is 45 – he's some random bloke I met two years ago and is now my bezzie mate!'

'If I have something like a broken heart, Danny is the person I call. There was an incident that happened and I called him up and he was like, 'All right, where is he!' 

'He gives advice but it's not even that. He has my back so much and I have his. Danny makes everyone feel like the most special person.'

Reflecting on playing the role of Taggie, Bella also addressed the age-gap between the character and her love interest Rupert.

In the original novels, Taggie is 18 years old to Rupert's 37, but the Disney+ adaptation has aged her up to 20, in response to modern views on age-gap relationships - a change that Bella said the late author, Dame Jilly Cooper, was all for.

'Jilly was so wonderful about it,' she explained. 'She knew it wasn't the same Taggie as in the books. 

'Although it's set in the 80s, we're telling it from a 21st Century lens. It's still a massive age gap. I feel so strongly about this.' 

The actress admitted that she had worried about how Taggie and Rupert's romance would go down with modern audiences, but defended their relationship as being 'a soul connection', while insisting that Taggie was very mature for her age.

She said: 'I was so worried about what people would think. But Gen Z seem to love it! My girlfriends send me these really funny reels of me and Rupert on TikTok.'

'Because of the way it's done, because they really loved each other at first sight, I just feel like it's a soul connection with them,' Bella continued.

'Taggie is wise beyond her years - she sees him for all his faults and believes he can change, and he really sees her. That's what's so painful. 

'There's so much going against them, but there's a pureness to their love. It's very Disney princessy, which I still love.' 

It comes after her fellow Rivals co-stars teased that the second season will be even raunchier than the show's debut, with Danny claiming viewers 'are rooting for infidelity' and Aidan Turner sharing details of a particularly steamy scene.

Danny, , said: 'We’re delving into the complications of two people who are madly in love but married with children to other people. 

'There are a lot of people rooting for infidelity, which is quite rare.'

Aidan stars as TV journalist Declan O'Hara, who has .

He described a steamy shower sex scene between the couple as 'fun' to film, telling the Daily Mirror: 'Victoria and I are very comfortable with each other.  

'We’ve worked together quite intimately since the first series and we just clicked straight away – it might be the Irish thing.'

While Emily Atack, who , teased that she pushed her acting skills to the limit this series for a complex dinner party scene.

She explained: 'You’ve got to know the lines inside out, know every bit of the rhythm of it', but proudly revealed that the show 'did it all in one go', which was a new experience for her.

The actress also described a moment in the scene where her character has to 'break down' and added it was genuine, having had a feeling of 'I've done it'.