SAD NEWS! #Bridgerton heart-throb Regé-Jean Page will NOT return for season 2

I honestly thought this was a late April Fool's Day joke when I first read the news but alas.....

Bridgerton heart-throb Regé-Jean Page will not return for series two, it was announced on Friday. #

The hit Netflix series took to its official Twitter account to reveal that the actor, 31, who plays Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, won't be appearing on season two. 

Regé-Jean, who is set to star in The Gray Man, also took to Instagram to confirm the news as he emotionally said it had been a 'pleasure and a privilege to be your Duke'. 

Bridgerton fans, including Kim Kardashian, were left devastated by the shock exit as they took to social media to share their heartbreak. 

In a tongue-in-cheek statement penned as the mysterious show lead Lady Whistledown, Bridgerton tweeted: 

'Your Grace, it has been a pleasure.' 

The statement read: 

'Dear Readers, while all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton's quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings. 'We'll miss Simon's presence onscreen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family. 'Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer – more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear. 

Yours truly, Lady Whistledown.'