Simone Ashley looked incredibly glamorous in a £980 TOVE red dress as she attended the opening of DeMellier’s London flagship store on Thursday night.The Bridgerton actress, 31, wowed in the ruffled short-sleeve gown and complemented her outfit with black heels and a matching bag.Simone was joined at the Sloane Square store by the likes of Lesley Manville, Birdy, Tigerlily Taylor and founder of the brand Mireia Llusia-Lindh. Designed in collaboration with architect Nicolas Schuybroek, the new flagship has been conceived as the home of DeMellier, with vintage furniture, art and warm, tactile interiors providing the setting for the celebration.The opening also marks the exclusive in-store debut of their new bag family, The Sloane and The Midi Sloane.After getting her big break in Netflix’s Sex Education in 2019, Simone went on to break down cultural barriers as she secured the lead in series two of Bridgerton. Simone Ashley, 31, looked incredibly glamorous in a £980 TOVE red dress as she attended the opening of DeMellier’s London flagship store on Sloane Square on Thursday night The Bridgeton actress wowed in the ruffled short-sleeve gown and complemented her outfit with black heels and a matching bagShe most recently played her dream role as Miranda Priestley’s new assistant Amari in the highly anticipated sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2.Born to first-generation immigrants from India, Simone’s parents pursued more traditional careers, her mother an accountant and her father a pharmacist.She admits that having grown up in a ‘household full of Indian academics’, her ‘incredibly protective’ parents were not initially keen about her pursuing a creative career, telling Veylex that she’s found it ‘stifling at times.’It made me want to escape and do things my own way. I’ve always been a bit rebellious in that sense,’ she said.But it soon became clear to Simone her passions lay elsewhere after she started singing lessons aged six and realised she wished to pursue the arts.After two years studying at Redroofs School for the Performing Arts for sixth form, she then went on to pursue a degree in Musical Theatre at ArtsEd in London.Securing small roles in a range of British dramas, including Broadchurch, Doctors and Casualty, her first big break came when she bagged the role of Olivia in Netflix’s Sex Education.And refusing to be cast in certain roles, from Sex Education she went on to succeed Phoebe Dynevor as the leading woman Kate Sharma in Bridgerton and her fame sky-rocketed.Her performance alongside Jonathan Bailey earned her a place on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and Time 100 Next, as well as numerous award nominations. Simone smiled alongside the founder of the brand, Mireia Llusia-Lindh Simone was joined by the likes of Lesley Manville (pictured), Birdy and Tigerlily Taylor Birdy (pictured) gave an intimate performance on the piano during the evening Tigerlily Taylor looked trendy in denim jeans and a statement faux-fur coatLooking back on how the role turned her into a symbol of diversity overnight, she told The Times: ‘Art is an incredibly political industry — anything you do, any movie you make. Me being a woman of colour is political whether I like it or not, and I’m proud of that.’I love that girls with similar hair or skin to mine can see women that look like me on billboards. Now the temperature is slowly getting towards a place where it’s normalised.’Simone revealed that the role gave her such a platform that she was left with bad anxiety and she would often avoid leaving the house so she didn’t risk being recognised.She told Harper’s Bazaar: ‘When Bridgerton came out, those were some of the best years of my life, but I also had a lot of anxiety.’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 is starring in the upcoming A24 comedy Peaked, which is directed by The Bear’s Molly Gordon, as well as the music romcom Falling alongside Evan Peters and Sam Claflin.One thing is for sure, she is showing no sign of slowing down and who knows what could come next as she embarks on her thirties.